DEMARCHE TO SADC CAPITALS ON EVE OF ZIMBABWE

C O N F I D E N T I A L GABORONE 000434 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/S DIFFILY E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/18/2015 TAGS: PREL PGOV BC ZI SADC SUBJECT: DEMARCHE TO SADC CAPITALS ON EVE OF ZIMBABWE ELECTIONS: GOB REACTION REF: STATE 47945 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES LOIS A. AROIAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) Ambassador Huggins delivered demarche to Botswana's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr. Ernest Mpofu, on March 18. Mpofu's response was that he, too, hoped for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. He was encouraged, he said, by the fact that thus far, the level of pre-election violence was significantly lower than in the run-up to the previous elections, and pleasantly surprised by the court decision in favor of the "Daily News". But he shrugged off the role of equal access by the opposition to the Zimbabwe media, noting "people have no money to buy newspapers", and despairing of the GOZ broadcast media, which would inevitably favor ZANU-PF. ¶2. (C) Mpofu was equivocal on the absence of an invitation to the SADC-Parliamentary Forum as observers, and quickly went on to relate that Botswana will send a delegation of observers, none of whom will be GOB civil servants. When asked if, on the delegation's return, it could hold a briefing session for the diplomatic community, Mpofu went into standard fall-back Botswana position mode, i.e., reciting once again that Botswana will be considered on the side of the West, and against Zimbabwe, if it does so. He continued with the set piece that EmbOffs have heard for the past years: Botswana cannot afford to antagonize its neighbor; Mugabe, in the region, is still a comrade from the liberation struggle, no one said anything about the 1983 Matabeleland massacres but the West was up in arms when white farmers were expropriated, and: SADC cannot confront ZANU-Pf head-on. ¶3. (C) Ambassador Huggins pressed the issue that Zimbabwe's continuing crisis is dragging down the entire region. Mpofu agreed. "We can only advise Mugabe, as a colleague, that this cannot continue," he said. He concluded by expressing his hope that in the March 31 election, the Zimbabwean people's voice would be heard. AROIAN Aroian NNNN