Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08LUANDA338
2008-05-02 12:00:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Luanda
Cable title:
ALL QUIET ON ZIMBABWE AS MOMENTUM SHIFTS TO MUGABE
how-toVZCZCXRO3943 PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN DE RUEHLU #0338 1231200 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 021200Z MAY 08 FM AMEMBASSY LUANDA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4766 INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY
UNCLAS LUANDA 000338
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV AO ZI
SUBJECT: ALL QUIET ON ZIMBABWE AS MOMENTUM SHIFTS TO MUGABE
REF: A) LUANDA 331 B) LUANDA 254
UNCLAS LUANDA 000338
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV AO ZI
SUBJECT: ALL QUIET ON ZIMBABWE AS MOMENTUM SHIFTS TO MUGABE
REF: A) LUANDA 331 B) LUANDA 254
1. (U) One week after the visit of A/S Frazer and NSC Senior
Director Bobby Pittman to Angola to consult with President
Dos Santos (ref A) on the issue of Zimbabwe, the GRA has yet
to make a public statement on the crisis. News reports in
the state run press have been minimalist, focused on the
progress made toward releasing electoral results and the
possibility of a run-off. Independent weekly journals have
offered very little analysis to counter the perception of
normalcy in Zimbabwe promoted in the state run press.
2. (SBU) No official statement has been made recently
concerning the An Yue Jiang, the Chinese ship carrying arms
for Zimbabwe and other merchandise for Angola. Unverified
reports around the diplomatic circuit here say the ship has
already docked in Luanda and off loaded its cargo. According
to one unverified report accredited by our source to the U.S.
Embassy in Harare, the Zimbabwean arms were off loaded and
were to be flown to Harare. Other unverified reports from
international press stringers suggest the GRA or an
independent actor in Angola purchased the Zimbabwean arms
(thus complying with the President's order not to off load
Zimbabwean arms) in order to sell them to the highest bidder,
potentially including Zimbabwe. We have no evidence to
support any of the assertions of these unverified reports.
3. (U) Officials from the troika countries (Angola, Tanzania,
and Swaziland) of the SADC Organ for Politics, Defense, and
Security are to meet in Luanda on May 2-4 to discuss
political issues in Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. Post will monitor the meetings and
report significant developments.
4. (SBU) Comment: Zimbabwe's electoral crisis is evolving in
line with GRA hopes for an outcome legally keeping Mugabe and
the ZANU-PF in power (as described (ref B) to the Ambassador
by Vice Minister for External Relations Jorge Chicoti on
March 30). We assess Angola will not be in the forefront of
any push to alter the current trajectory of the crisis.
MOZENA
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV AO ZI
SUBJECT: ALL QUIET ON ZIMBABWE AS MOMENTUM SHIFTS TO MUGABE
REF: A) LUANDA 331 B) LUANDA 254
1. (U) One week after the visit of A/S Frazer and NSC Senior
Director Bobby Pittman to Angola to consult with President
Dos Santos (ref A) on the issue of Zimbabwe, the GRA has yet
to make a public statement on the crisis. News reports in
the state run press have been minimalist, focused on the
progress made toward releasing electoral results and the
possibility of a run-off. Independent weekly journals have
offered very little analysis to counter the perception of
normalcy in Zimbabwe promoted in the state run press.
2. (SBU) No official statement has been made recently
concerning the An Yue Jiang, the Chinese ship carrying arms
for Zimbabwe and other merchandise for Angola. Unverified
reports around the diplomatic circuit here say the ship has
already docked in Luanda and off loaded its cargo. According
to one unverified report accredited by our source to the U.S.
Embassy in Harare, the Zimbabwean arms were off loaded and
were to be flown to Harare. Other unverified reports from
international press stringers suggest the GRA or an
independent actor in Angola purchased the Zimbabwean arms
(thus complying with the President's order not to off load
Zimbabwean arms) in order to sell them to the highest bidder,
potentially including Zimbabwe. We have no evidence to
support any of the assertions of these unverified reports.
3. (U) Officials from the troika countries (Angola, Tanzania,
and Swaziland) of the SADC Organ for Politics, Defense, and
Security are to meet in Luanda on May 2-4 to discuss
political issues in Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. Post will monitor the meetings and
report significant developments.
4. (SBU) Comment: Zimbabwe's electoral crisis is evolving in
line with GRA hopes for an outcome legally keeping Mugabe and
the ZANU-PF in power (as described (ref B) to the Ambassador
by Vice Minister for External Relations Jorge Chicoti on
March 30). We assess Angola will not be in the forefront of
any push to alter the current trajectory of the crisis.
MOZENA