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