HARARE: CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT

UNCLAS HARARE 001011


DEPT FOR S/ES-CR AND S/ES-O
DEPT FOR AF/S - BWALCH

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPDC PREL OVIP ZI
SUBJECT: HARARE: CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO THE PRESIDENT-ELECT


1. Following is the text of a congratulatory message from Robert
Mugabe to the President-elect of the United States of America, Mr.
Barack Obama. Under the terms of a yet-to-be-implemented power
sharing agreement, Mugabe would continue to serve as the President
of Zimbabwe.


2. BEGIN TEXT. Your Excellency

On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Zimbabwe
and indeed on my own behalf, I wish to extend our hearty
congratulations on your election as the 44th President of the United
States of America. Your election to the high office of the
President of that great country is testimony to the confidence that
the American people have in you.

As the Government and people of Zimbabwe join you in celebrating
this event in the history of the USA, I take this opportunity to
assure you Mr President-elect that the Government of the Republic of
Zimbabwe remains ready to engage your Government in any desirable
endeavour to improve our bilateral relations.

Mr President-elect, the challenges that now lie ahead of you are
enormous and those of us in the small and developing countries
cherish the hope of working with your new Administration as we
pursue our programmes and policies to develop our societies in the
global context of socio-economic interaction.

I wish you personal good health, peace and prosperity to the people
of the United States of America.

Yours sincerely, R.G. Mugabe, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
END TEXT.


3. The letter and accompanying Diplomatic Note from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Zimbabwe were received
electronically at the U.S. Embassy Harare on Friday, November 7,

2008. If we receive a hard copy, we will forward it to S/ES-CR via
the next outgoing diplomatic pouch.


DHANANI