SOLOMON MUJURU LASHES OUT AT US PRESSURE, BUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 001064 SIPDIS SIPDIS AF/S FOR S. HILL SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/30/2015 TAGS: PGOV PREL ZI SUBJECT: SOLOMON MUJURU LASHES OUT AT US PRESSURE, BUT LEAVES DOOR OPEN REF: REFTEL: HARARE 1056 Classified By: Ambassador Christopher Dell for reasons 1.5 b/d -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Retired general and ZANU-PF kingmaker Solomon Mujuru told visiting staffdel and the Ambassador on August 25 that the GOZ was open to dialogue, but that targeted sanctions demonstrated that Western capitals were not interested in real discussions. Saying that only the rural poor felt the bite of sanctions, Mujuru said that the West's policy of isolation merely insulted the dignity of regime leaders. Despite the stale rhetoric, Mujuru conceded that the GOZ had made some mistakes and left the door open for future meetings. End Summary. -------------- Sanctions Expose Sore Point -------------- ¶2. (C) Responding to the staffdel's question on what can be done to establish dialogue, Mujuru said that the GOZ was "100 percent open" to talks, but that the US and other Western governments were not willing to talk. Mujuru then launched into the familiar history lesson of how Robert Mugabe had preached reconciliation at independence only to be abandoned by the British government. Mujuru pointed to aid suspensions and financial and travel sanctions as evidence that the West only wanted to press Zimbabwe into submission. "How can we talk if my hands are in chains?" Mujuru asked. ¶3. (C) Although he initially claimed that sanctions were impacting all Zimbabweans especially those in the rural areas, Mujuru conceded that the leadership sanctions were beginning to sting after the staffdel retorted that Western governments maintained only targeted sanctions against regime leaders. Demonstrating that even he was hurt by the financial sanctions, Mujuru complained bitterly about a US$7 million line of credit he had arranged which had been frozen by OFAC. Mujuru added that the targeted sanctions were impacting other regime leaders and making them less eager to engage. -------------- US Approach Insults Regime's Honor -------------- ¶4. (C) Claiming that the GOZ was democratically elected and respected the rights of opposition supporters, Mujuru said that the GOZ did not understand what the USG wanted. Repeated Western criticism was not working, according to Mujuru. The Ambassador replied the USG believed that the GOZ had lost its way since the 1980s, when the ruling party had worked for the good of the people, and that Washington wanted regime restoration, not regime change. Mujuru immediately fell back on the line that this criticism was an "attack on GOZ's manhood." "You can not come into another man's house and tell him he has a problem with his family." The West needed to "find a way to tell us nicely" what the problems are. The Ambassador rejoined that he had been careful not to say the USG was insisting on its own solutions for Zimbabwe, but rather that the GOZ was not abiding by the standards that it had set for itself years ago. Echoing these statements, the staffdel told Mujuru that many in the United States, who had once celebrated ZANU-PF's liberation legacy, now viewed the regime as an oppressor. The Ambassador added that if Mujuru was serious about wanting dialogue he could not HARARE 00001064 002 OF 002 instinctively defend his machismo every time he heard something he did not agree with. -------------- Leaves Door Open -------------- ¶5. (C) Asked by the staffdel what steps the GOZ was willing to take to reach out to the USG, Mujuru said he was open to suggestions and asked that the USG put into writing the steps that needed to be taken. Mujuru appeared to concede to the Ambassador's point that the GOZ needed to reclaim its legacy of the 1980s and stated that "we have all made mistakes." Noting that he had historically had good relations with US officials, Mujuru at the close of the meeting invited the Ambassador to return in the future to continue the discussion. -------------- Bio Note -------------- ¶6. (C) Although reported to have AIDS and to be an alcoholic, Mujuru looked remarkably good and surprisingly young for a man of 61 years. Contacts tell us that the spotlight-averse retired General spends most of his time on his farm in Beatrice, about an hour south of Harare, and that his wife, Vice President Joyce Mujuru, is an infrequent visitor. Nonetheless, the staffdel met the liberation war hero at the Harare office headquarters of his far-flung business empire. Suggestive of his influence, Mujuru said that he often visited Mugabe unannounced by simply knocking on the door and saying "it's me." Majuru has a high school education and exhibited at the meeting a limited grasp of complicated issues such as economic reform. Although he spoke in English with the staffdel, he reportedly conducts most business meetings in Shona and uses an interpreter. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) This was the first USG meeting with Mujuru in several years. He apparently felt compelled to rehearse standard GOZ/ZANU-PF lines on the causes of Zimbabwe's problems and the reasons for its growing isolation, but thereafter seemed to hint at a more flexible willingness to drop the posturing and talk about real issues. Similarly, his prickly attack on sanctions belies the GOZ's oft-repeated rhetoric that targeted sanctions hurt only the little man, not the leadership. End comment. ¶8. (U) The staffdel did not have an opportunity to clear this cable before leaving Harare. DELL