PRESIDENT KHAMA OPEN TO NEW APPROACHES ON CKGR AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L GABORONE 000495


USAFRICOM FOR STRATEGY PLANS AND PROGRAMS (MC) SOUTHERN
BRANCH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/18/2028
TAGS: BC PGOV PHUM PREL SADC ZI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT KHAMA OPEN TO NEW APPROACHES ON CKGR AND

REFUGEES; PESSIMISTIC ON ZIMBABWE


Classified By: Ambassador K. Canavan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: President Khama says he is ready to move
ahead on the problems of the San who were relocated from the
CKGR, and will use a widely-praised former community
management plan as a guideline. He also is breaking with
past policy by saying he is willing to allow HIV-positive
refugees to receive government anti-retroviral drug
treatment, so long as the costs are borne by donors. He is
pessimistic about the situation in Zimbabwe, and is
considering what measures he would take if the Mugabe regime
steals the election. End summary.


2. (C) President Ian Khama took the occasion of Ambassador
Canavan's final call upon him to break new ground on two
significant issues:

-- He related that he had met recently with Roy Sesana of
First Peoples of the Kalahari, and other representatives of
the San who were displaced from the Central Kalahari Game
Reserve (CKGR) in the government's controversial relocations
of 1997-2003. He said the meeting had gone well and that he
had suggested that an older community and wildlife management
plan known as Management Plan 3 would be a good starting
point for resolving many of the current issues related to the
San. The plan includes provisions for consultations with the
San, and for their sustainable use of the natural resources
in and round the reserve. (Note: Management Plan 3 has been
widely praised since its development several years ago, but
no effort was made to implement it after the San brought a
court case against the government. Returning to this plan as
a way forward would mark a significant change from the
government's long-standing inertia on the issue. End note.)
President Khama says he has instructed the Minister of
Environment, Wildlife, and Tourism to make any needed updates
to Management Plan 3 and to prepare for consultations with
the San.

-- Ambassador Canavan raised the issue of the government's
refusal to allow HIV-positive non-citizen refugees to receive
anti-retroviral drug therapy, and noted that some recently
arrived Zimbabwean refugees had been on ARV treatment before
fleeing Zimbabwe, and would now be forced off of their
treatment. President Khama said that the problem came down
to cost -- Botswana simply was not able to pay for ARV
treatment for temporarily-resident foreigners, especially
given that such generosity could well lure many additional
foreigners whose home countries did not have free ARV
programs. Ambassador Canavan advised the President that
UNHCR and foreign donors led by the United States were fully
prepared to cover the costs of ARVs for refugees in Botswana,
at which point the President said that with that financial
support "it would be unconscionable" not to provide
treatment. He agreed to convey this directly to the Minister
of Health. (Note: One of the concerns that has been
expressed by some in the Cabinet is the unpredictability of
foreign financial support. End note.)


3. (C) Concerning Zimbabwe, the President said that "Mugabe
is totally out of control," and that "It is hard to imagine
how the SADC monitors will be able to say this election was
free and fair." If Mugabe is declared the winner after all
that has happened during the campaign, Khama said, "He should
not be recognized as president." Khama said he personally
would find it almost impossible to attend any SADC function
that a newly-inaugurated Mugabe was attending.


4. (C) Continuing on Zimbabwe. President Khama said he was
pessimistic about the outcome of the election process, and
also not optimistic about getting many other SADC countries
to take a firmer line. He said he has been "mystified" by
South African President Mbeki's approach to his role as SADC
mediator on Zimbabwe, and he told the following story as an
example. On the margins of a meeting in Japan, SADC Chair
President Mwanawasa asked Mbeki to give a briefing on his
efforts to the SADC heads of state who were present. Mbeki
coolly declined, Khama said, on the grounds that he reported
to the SADC Organ on Security, not to the SADC Chair or
member heads of state. When Mwanawasa replied that the Organ
was subservient to the SADC heads of state, Mbeki still
refused. This "amazing" episode revealed much about Mbeki's
completely ineffective approach to his mandate, Khama
thought, and showed how little anyone should expect from him.


5. (C) Comment: As vice president, Khama was focused but
restrained in meetings -- much more of a listener than a
speaker, and ever careful to stay within the boundaries of
government policy. As president, despite being in office
less than three months, Khama seems a new man -- relaxed,
confident, and notably more prepared to engage in creative
discussion. He has long had a reputation for being
"decisive" -- but whether that was a positive or a negative
description depended on who was making the observation. So
far, it is a description that this mission would apply to his
presidency with distinct approval. End comment.


CANAVAN