MEDIA REACTION: MUGABE ATTACKS U. S. AND BRITAIN

UNCLAS HARARE 000400 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: MUGABE ATTACKS U. S. AND BRITAIN AT NAM SUMMIT; HARARE ¶1. The lead story in the February 26 edition of the government-controlled daily "The Herald" highlights Mr. Robert Mugabe's broadside against the United States and Britain at the just-ended Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, accusing them "of trying to impose a new form of colonialism" on weaker nations. "The United States awakened to the implications of being the sole superpower, joined by Britain as a born-again colonialist, and other Western countries have turned themselves into ferocious hunting bull-dogs raring to go as they sniff for more blood, Third World Blood. We are their hunted game for slaughter," Mugabe is quoted as saying in the article printed under headline "President slams Bush and Blair: `U. S., UK leaders seek to impose new form of colonialism on weaker nations.'" Excerpts of the article by Innocent Gore, who accompanied Mr. Mugabe to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, follow: ¶2. "President Mugabe yesterday accused the United States and Britain of trying to impose a new form of colonialism on developing countries. Speaking at a summit of the 116- member non-Aligned Movement (NAM),President Mugabe said U. ¶S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were imperialists who wanted to create a world where powerful `big brother' states imposed their will on weaker ones. `The U. S. awakened to the implications of being the sole superpower, joined by Britain as born-again colonialist, and other Western countries have turned themselves into ferocious hunting bull-dogs raring to go as they sniff for more blood, Third World blood. We are their hunted game for slaughter. The charter of the United Nations and its sacrosanct tenets of international peace, the sovereignty of nations and non-interference in domestic affairs of states, are being desecrated by the day.' ". . .Mugabe said Iraq might have developed or desired to develop weapons of mass destruction, but the U. S. should demonstrate what Baghdad should do by destroying its own massive heaps of nuclear weapons first. `They should surely teach by example, and yet they have refused to sign the treaty on nuclear disarmament. To support the U. S. administration's zest for aggression on Iraq is to support a proposed inhuman campaign, which is sure to see many lives lost,' he said. ". . .Big brother could blatantly use his prejudice to determine and upset the validity of any elections in the Third World and declare a validly elected president of a country illegitimate. `But we must remain silent about the presidential election fiasco of the U. S. whose vote failed to produce a winner until the U. S. Supreme Court, dominated by Republican judges, imposed Mr. George Bush (Jr.) as winner. And is it not ironical that Mr. Bush who was not elected, should deny my legitimacy established by many observer groups from Africa and Third World. Who should the world impose sanctions on, Robert Mugabe or George Bush? The President said power had become to those who hold it, the determinant of justice, morality and even legality and that the governing norms of the Third World had been greatly eroded. . . ." SULLIVAN