SEEKING UN SECRETARIAT BRIEFING ON ZIMBABWE AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 079981

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2018
TAGS: PHUM PREL UNSC XA ZI
SUBJECT: SEEKING UN SECRETARIAT BRIEFING ON ZIMBABWE AND
APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL ENVOY

Classified By: IO A/S Brian Hook, Acting, Reasons: 1.4 (b) and(d)


1. (U) This is an action request, see para 2. Department
would like to see Haile Menkerios appointed as the UN,s
&Special Envoy8 to the Zimbabwe negotiations or at least
continue his work as the Secretary General's envoy on
Zimbabwe, and for Menkerios to brief the Council as soon as
possible. USUN may draw from the talking points in para 3
and the background in paras 4-7 to achieve these objectives.


2. (C) Department requests that USUN:

-- consult with like-minded missions to seek an informal
briefing to the UN Security Council by Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios as soon as
possible.

-- work with other PermReps to request that the UN
Secretariat appoint UN Assistant Secretary General Menkerios
as the UN's representative to the Zimbabwe negotiations and
dispatch him as soon as possible. If USUN believes that such
a formal appointment could face opposition in the Council, we
should encourage the Secretariat to continue to use Menkerios
as envoy on Zimbabwe.


3. (SBU) Talking Points:

-- The U.S. appreciates the role that the UN has played thus
far on the crisis in Zimbabwe. The UN has continuously
spoken out on the situation in Zimbabwe, calling the world's
attention to the need for democratic
reforms and an end to the violence.

--We believe the UN can play an even more important role for
the international community by officially appointing
UN Assistant Secretary General Menkerios as the UN's
representative to the Zimbabwe negotiations, or at least
continuing to use Menkerios as envoy.

-- The U.S. believes that a strong UN presence during the
negotiations is critical to the success of the negotiations.
Menkerios, has already demonstrated to Mbeki, the MDC, and
ZANU-PF that he is and will be a
strong figure.

-- Moreover, the UN needs an African as its representative in
these delicate negotiations between the Zimbabwean parties
The designation by Menkerios of Vladimir Zhagora, a Russian
national, as his representative to the negotiations, risks
weakening the role of the UN, despite Zhagora,s experience
in other African conflict resolution situations.

For use with like-minded missions:

-- The U.S. continues to support addressing Zimbabwe in the
UNSC in order to keep the international community,s
attention focused on the crisis. An early briefing from
Menkerios would be the next logical step. We support
Menkerios' rapid return next week to Zimbabwe, and would like
to see him brief the Council as quickly as possible prior to
his departure.

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Background
--------------


4. (C) Mugabe and the MDC have agreed to undertake
negotiations toward reaching a political settlement. RSA
President Mbeki will continue in his role as facilitator for
the talks on behalf of SADC. UN Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios reported July
22 to USUN that Mbeki had intended to be the only mediator,
but Menkerios objected. Menkerios told Mbeki he (Mbeki)
would be blamed for everything if he didn't expand
participation. Menkerios told Mbeki he could not, as sitting
president, devote himself full-time to these
negotiations but must appoint a team that could work on them
full-time. Mbeki agreed to appoint a team of South
Africans -- Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, Mbeki
legal advisor Mojanku Gumbi, and Mbeki chief of
cabinet Chikami -- to be the full-time team that would
participate in the Zimbabwe negotiations. In addition,
Mugabe and the MDC have agreed that representatives from the
AU and the UN will participate in the negotiations as
a "reference group" whose specific role is undefined.

STATE 00079981 002 OF 002



5. (C) UN and AU participation in the talks was an MDC
condition for agreeing to enter negotiations to balance
Mbeki's bias toward Mugabe. AU Commission Chairman Ping has
been suggested as the AU representative, and Menkerios as UN
representative. Each member of the reference team --
Menkerios, AU Chair Jean Ping, and SADC rep George
Chikoti -- would appoint a representative who would travel to
Harare for the negotiations. Menkerios has already
named Vladimir Zhagora of DPA, a Russian national, as his
representative, and Zhagora has already left for Harare.

6. (C) The negotiations will have only the Mbeki team in
the negotiating room with the parties. The Mbeki team
will brief the reference team representatives each night and
the parties will have access to the reference team as
well. When negotiations warrant, the reference team
principals (Menkerios, Ping, and Chikoti) and Mbeki will
return. It would be even more helpful to the MDC if the AU
and UN representatives would actively participate in
the negotiations and not be sidelined by Mbeki.


7. (C) Menkerios expects he will return to the region within
a week. Menkerios reported to Ban that he (like
Ping and Chikoti) could not devote full-time to the
negotiations without having his other work suffer
unacceptably. Menkerios believes that using him as "SYG
Special Envoy" might be useful when he returns to the
negotiations. Menkerios said as much to Ban but said that
decision of course is up to the SYG. Menkerios has visited
Zimbabwe and the region, investigating the electoral
situation since the March 29 first-round elections and would
be the best choice to serve as the UN participant.
RICE