AMBASSADOR HOSTS MEETING ON VIOLENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000408 SIPDIS AF/S FOR S. HILL ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2018 TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL ZI SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR HOSTS MEETING ON VIOLENCE REF: HARARE 395 Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) The Ambassador hosted a meeting with SADC ambassadors and representatives on May 7 to discuss the growing violence in Zimbabwe. He showed a video prepared by the Solidarity Peace Trust, which contains statements of violence victims and graphic images. Members of a USAID team that had traveled to Manicaland two weeks ago also shared their experiences. The Ambassador then led a discussion on ending the violence. The SADC invitees were appreciative of getting first-hand information and accepted the Ambassador's invitation to accompany him to a local hospital to meet with victims, and to a rural area that has witnessed extensive violence. All voiced support for the democratic process and said it was imperative that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai return to Zimbabwe. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Ambassadors from the DRC, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique and Angola attended, as well as representatives from the South African, Tanzanian and Malawian embassies. No one from the Zambian embassy was able to attend. ¶3. (C) The Ambassador opened the meeting with a screening of the Solidarity Peace Trust video, which includes heart-rending interviews with victims of violence and graphic images of their injuries. Two members of the USAID team then recounted their trip of a couple of weeks ago to Nyanga, Mutare, and Chipingi where they interviewed MDC victims of violence and displaced persons (Ref). An LES member of the team noted that violence had intensified since their trip, and that ZANU-PF youth in many areas were now going door to door in order to compile lists of MDC supporters. ¶4. (C) Kicking off a discussion, the Ambassador emphatically averred that a crisis was occurring, violence was manifest, and that the overriding issue was how to stop the violence. He hoped to be able to work with SADC missions in Harare to do this. ¶5. (C) The Botswanan, Namibian, and Angolan ambassadors said they were following the situation closely. The Botswanan ambassador noted that "nobody condones this barbarity," the Angolan ambassador stated that "nobody can say there's no crisis," and the Namibian ambassador agreed that something had to be done--the question was what. These ambassadors agreed that information was key. The video was helpful and they requested copies to forward to their capitals. ¶6. (C) On the issue of a way forward, the Angolan ambassador said that SADC wanted to help Zimbabwe--not ZANU-PF or the MDC. The SADC ministerial troika of the politics, security, and defense organ (Angola, Swaziland, and Zambia) had met with the Zimbabwean government and had also traveled to Zambia and South Africa. The Angolan ambassador admitted it was not easy to talk to the GOZ--it was stubborn and didn't want to discuss the issue of violence. Nevertheless, SADC was committed to staying engaged. Complicating SADC's efforts was Tsvangirai's absence from Zimbabwe. The SADC ambassadors were emphatic that Tsvangirai needed to be in Zimbabwe to talk with SADC, with ZANU-PF, and to defend the victory that he claimed. (NOTE: To the issue of Tsvangirai's fear for his life and concern that his passport could be seized as it was in the past, the ambassadors said SADC would be glad to discuss his security with him, and help him address the passport issue. END NOTE.) HARARE 00000408 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) The Angolan ambassador also stated SADC's interest in an "impartial, independent, free of corruption" election, and added that SADC must demonstrate its own impartiality. He said SADC was prepared to help Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) financially to hold a runoff election. ¶8. (C) The only discordant note came from the DRC ambassador, the dean of the diplomatic corps, who argued that the MDC had instigated the current wave of violence and was at least as responsible as ZANU-PF. He also opined that Zimbabwe was a regional issue, and that SADC should handle it without interference from the West. ¶9. (C) The Ambassador welcomed the cooperation of the SADC representatives and their desires to be better informed about the reign of violence. They readily accepted his invitation to accompany him on a visit this week or early next week to Avenues Hospital in Harare to interview victims of violence, and on a subsequent trip to a rural area to examine violence. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶10. (C) We continue to believe SADC has a potentially important role to play in resolving the Zimbabwean crisis. This was a successful meeting in terms of letting the SADC representatives know of our concern about the spiraling violence, informing them about the extent of the violence, and letting them know we consider SADC to be a key in ending violence. ¶11. (C) Several of the ambassadors commented that while they are trying to become better informed about the current situation, policy is made in their capitals. In that regard, we believe it critical for our embassies in these capitals to continue to discuss in any way possible the ongoing violence, and to disseminate the very effective Solidarity Peace Trust video as widely as possible. END COMMENT. MCGEE