MEDIA REACTION WAR WITH IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000588

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD/PA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

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



1. Under headline "Bush, Blair must learn from
history" the government-controlled daily "Chronicle"
dedicated its March 21 editorial to declaring that the
war against Iraq is uncalled for and is bound to fail,
adding, "America must not be allowed to bully the
world." Excerpts:


2. "German autocrat, Otto von Bismarck, was once
caricatured as a man walking on gunpowder with a
burning cigarette in his mouth. We regret that
this could easily apply to America's George Bush
and Britain's Tony Blair who seem to have learnt
nothing from history. History will record that
unilateral steps taken by superpowers have
failed in the past. . . There is no
justification whatsoever for the Americans to
use morality as a reason for ousting Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein when it is clear that
their desire is to control oil production.
History will record the failures of these
unilateral campaigns. Need we remind the
Americans of their failure in the Gulf War to
oust President Hussein or their disastrous
campaign in Vietnam. . . While we appreciate
Bush's zeal to redeem himself after the
disastrous campaign in Afghanistan, where he has
failed to track down Osama bin Laden, we feel
that by attacking Iraq, he has taken matters too
far. The U.S., which has since assumed the role
of the world's policeman like Hitler tried to
do, has defied the United Nations - thus showing
the irrelevance of the body in policing
superpowers.

". . .It is sad that the U.S., which is fighting
to control Iraqi oil, has in the past lied to
the world that it was concerned about human
rights issues in the Middle East country. The
truth is out . . .! The Americans, in a clear
fear of the unknown, have said that they fear
reprisals from terrorist organizations. We say
that those who live in glass houses should not
throw stones. Here will be a typical case of
violence begetting violence. For as long as the
Americans bully other nations and ignore the
United Nations, we do not wish them well. We
wait with anticipation for those who have
declared a jihad on America to remind George
Bush et al that the oil he wishes to control is
not worth the blood that will be shed in the war
against Iraq. America must not be allowed to
bully the world. We are not all American."

SULLIVAN