MEDIA REACTION WAR WITH IRAQ; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000595 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA 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 the headline "Time to curb U.S. bully tactics" the government-controlled weekly "The Sunday Mail" (03/23) an opinion article by the newspaper's Political Editor, Munyaradzi Huni. Huni accuses the United States and Britain of leading a campaign "to spread imperialism." Excerpts follow: ¶2. "My heart bleeds for the people of Iraq. May the powerful and all-conquering God see to it that good triumphs over evil. But, if I may ask: `What the hell does the U.S. think it is anyway. . .?' Over 300,000 U.S.-led forces are already reducing Iraq to ashes. . .not only to remove Saddam Hussein from power but to spread imperialism in that region. America knows that defeating Saddam Hussein is the first and biggest step in conquering the Moslems around the world. All the talk about weapons of mass destruction is just propaganda to justify the killing of innocent lives in Iraq. Mr. Blair knows the price for not supporting America. . . If Britain fails to support America, Mr. Blair knows that once Mr. Bush finishes the project in other countries, the guns will be turned on his country. So while Iraq is thousands of kilometers away, what is happening there could happen to Zimbabwe because the reasons why they are bombing Iraq are the same reasons why they imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe. It's all about spreading this new kind of colonialism. . . Once they finish the project in Iraq. . .Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are likely to turn their attention to North Korea, another country they accuse of having weapons of mass destruction. After North Korea, no one really knows where the bombs will be pounding, but one thing that is certain is that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair's efforts to spread imperialism will continue because their madness and hunger to rule the world knows no bounds. Isn't it time this madness is put to a quick stop. . . ." SULLIVAN