SOUTH AFRICA OPPOSED TO TIMING AND CONTENT OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000603

SIPDIS

IO AND AF FOR FRONT OFFICE; NSC FOR PITTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL ZI UNSC
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA OPPOSED TO TIMING AND CONTENT OF
ZIMBABWE UNSCR

Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for Reasons 1.4 B/D.


1. (C) SUMMARY: South African PermRep Dumisani Kumalo met
with AMB Khalilzad July 7 to request that the U.S. consider
an "intermediate option" before moving forward with sanctions
on Zimbabwe. Kumalo said the content and timing of the U.S.
draft resolution will not meet its intended objective of
encouraging political dialogue because the text only puts
pressure on Zimbabwean government forces, and none on the
opposition. Kumalo also said that the proposal for a UN
Special Envoy was misguided, since it threatened to supersede
ongoing regional efforts at political reconciliation led by
South Africa. AMB Khalilzad responded that the U.S. intended
to put the resolution forward for adoption this week and
believed the diplomatic and financial pressure of sanctions
against the Mugabe regime could help government and
opposition forces move closer to resolving the crisis. END
SUMMARY.

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South Africa: UNSCR Content
and Timing Not Helpful
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2. (C) South African PermRep Dumisani Kumalo met with AMB
Khalilzad July 7 to communicate South Africa's concerns that
the timing and content of the U.S. sponsored draft resolution
on Zimbabwe would be counterproductive. Kumalo said that
President Mugabe had shown some willingness to engage in
substantive talks with the opposition in recent days and that
a UN sanctions resolution would not encourage progress at
this point. Second, Kumalo reasoned that while the Mugabe
government is under pressure to negotiate following the
European Union and African Union statements, the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) leadership had no incentive to engage
so long as it enjoyed international support and international
pressure was entirely focused on the government. Kumalo
added that the use of chapter VII authorities to comment on
the legitimacy of an election was a "step too far." Lastly,
Kumalo noted that implementation of a sanctions resolution
would require the buy-in of the neighboring states and that
the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development
Community (SADC) did not support sanctions.


3. (C) AMB Khalilzad responded that the U.S. believed that
the Mugabe regime's actions, unlike those of the MDC
leadership, warranted a strong response from the Security
Council and that additional pressure was needed to convince
President Mugabe to change course. AMB Khalilzad said the
U.S. shared South Africa's belief that an inclusive political
settlement was the only solution to the crisis and for that
reason included provisions regarding the removal of the
sanctions following an agreement. On timing, AMB Khalilzad
added that the U.S. believed the situation in Zimbabwe was
growing more urgent and wanted to adopt the resolution this
week for that reason.

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SADC Should Have the Lead
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4. (C) AMB Kumalo complained about the provisions of the
resolution calling for the establishment of a UN Special
Envoy for Zimbabwe. Kumalo argued that SADC and South Africa
were already engaged in negotiations on the issue and that
any expanded UN role should be "secondary" to ongoing
regional initiatives. AMB Khalilzad responded that the
proposed UN Special Envoy would complement, not replace, the
ongoing regional initiatives on Zimbabwe.

Khalilzad