MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000304

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE



1. Under headline "U.N. must not allow U. S. to start
war" the government-controlled daily dedicated its
February 11 editorial to urging the United Nations to
restrain the United States from attacking Iraq.
Excerpts follow:


2. "The tug-of-war between the United States and a
growing European bloc opposed to military action
against Iraq, unless there is much better evidence of
an Iraqi threat to international security, gives the
United Nations a chance to show that it is not run for
the convenience of its most powerful member. . . More
countries and people throughout the world, including in
the United States itself, are against a war with Iraq
unless far better evidence of breaches of U.N.
resolutions is presented by these independent
inspection teams. With Russia, France, Germany and
China opposed to a unilateral military strike by the
U.S., the U.N. has a clear mandate to act tough on
America. The U.N. must not allow anyone to start a
war. The U.N. has a duty to put a stop to this rush
towards the destruction of another country because its
most important mandate is to keep peace and prevent war
as well as enhance the security of all nations. There
can be no greater threat to peace and security than the
situation currently unfolding in the Middle East.

". . .Dislike of another government is not an
excuse for war. Whatever weapons of mass
destruction Iraq may once have had, some it
acquired with American help when the U.S., for
reasons that held little water then, covertly
supported Iraq in its unsuccessfully invasion of
Iran, simply because Iran humiliated the U.S.
What is also disconcerting is that the U.N.-
mandated war against Iraq more than a decade ago
was fought by President George Bush's father
using, in principle, the same war cabinet that
has just changed roles. The younger Bush should
recognize the wisdom his father showed when he
decided that any change of government in Iraq
had to be done by the people of that country,
and not by an outsider, especially a distrusted
outsider like the U.S. Bush Sr. forced Iraq to
obey U. N. resolutions to withdraw from Kuwait
and then, correctly, stopped. His son should do
likewise and not try to twist U.N. resolutions
to suit his own desires."

SULLIVAN