SADC REQUEST TO TOUR IBB FACILITY IN SELIBE-PHIKWE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 000481 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/S STATE PLEASE PASS TO BBG/VOA E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/15/2019 TAGS: PREL ASEC SADC BC SUBJECT: SADC REQUEST TO TOUR IBB FACILITY IN SELIBE-PHIKWE Classified By: Ambassador Stephen J. Nolan for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Embassy Gaborone received a diplomatic note from the Government of Botswana late in the afternoon June 15 requesting that a delegation from the SADC troika team "investigating the allegation that Botswana trained MDC cadres" be granted permission to visit the IBB Transmitting Station facility in Selibe-Phikwe on June 16 or 17. Ambassador Nolan immediately phoned MFA Permanent Secretary Samuel Outlule to ask about the origins and timing of this rather strange request. Outlule explained that SADC urgently approached the GOB on Sunday June 14 requesting help to organize a visit to Botswana by a delegation of the Organ Troika charged with investigating the long-pending charges made by Zimbabwe against Botswana. The GOB was doing its best to be transparent and assist, according to Outlule, but was not happy by the lack of organization and planning on SADC's part. Outlule advised the Ambassador that Botswana would appreciate a "reply in principle" soon, but he acknowledged that a visit to the IBB station in the requested timeframe may not be possible. Embassy Gaborone believes that it may be useful to comply with the SADC/GOB request in order to show that we have nothing to hide in Selibe-Phikwe and teach the SADC representatives about our IBB operations. END SUMMARY. TEXT OF DIPLOMATIC NOTE -------------- ¶2. (C) At approximately 1530 on Monday June 15, Embassy Gaborone received a diplomatic note from the Botswana Ministry of Foreign Affairs which reads: NOTE NO: 8/2009 EA 4/1/8/4 IV (58) A The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Botswana presents its compliments to the Embassy of the United States of America and has the honour to inform that the SADC Troika Technical Assessment Team assigned to investigate the allegations by Zimbabwe that Botswana trained MDC-T cadres wishes to request for permission to visit the Voice of America Radio Relay Station in Selibe-Phikwe. The Technical Assessment Team intends to visit a number of places in Botswana on 16 and 17 June. The Government of Botswana has expressed its readiness to cooperate with the SADC Troika in carrying out its verification task. The Ministry therefore wishes to request that the SADC Troika Technical Assessment Team be allowed to visit the Voice of America Radio Relay Station in Selibe-Phikwe. Information regarding the specific date for the visit, the number and nationalities of members of the Technical Assessment Team will be provided as soon as possible. The SADC Troika Assessment team intends to visit the Radio Relay Station because Zimbabwe has alleged that Botswana hosts Voice of America Radio Station Studio 7 which allegedly broadcasts hostile propaganda aimed at regime change in Zimbabwe. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Botswana avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Embassy of the United States of America the assurances of its highest consideration. GABORONE 15 June 2009 GOB Trying to Cooperate with SADC -------------- ¶3. (C) Ambassador Nolan called MFA Permanent Secretary Samuel Outlule to ask about the origins and timing of this strange request. It was our understanding from previous conversation with both the GOB and SADC that the investigation of Zimbabwe's spurious allegations against Botswana was complete and that the final report simply had to be presented to the parties on the findings. Outlule told the Ambassador that the GOB was taken by surprise by this request, and that SADC only contacted him on Sunday June 14 to request that the SADC team be allowed to tour various sites in Botswana in order to "evaluate" the Zimbabwean allegations. In the spirit of full disclosure, Botswana decided to cooperate in whatever way possible, though the GOB is clearly not happy with SADC's lack of advance notice and planning. Outlule told the Ambassador that the GOB plans to take the SADC team on a tour around Botswana, to include Ghanzi, Kasane, Pandamatenga, GABORONE 00000481 002 OF 002 Francistown, and Selibe-Phikwe (alleged sites of the military "training camps"). He was not yet aware of the exact composition of the delegation, but expected that it would include staff from the SADC Secretariat as well as representatives of the three governments that make up the Organ Troika (Swaziland, Angola, Mozambique) and perhaps some Zimbabweans in addition to the GOB hosts. ¶4. (C) Ambassador Nolan explained to Outlule that it was unusual to receive such a last minute request for access to our facility. Outlule agreed that the timing was difficult and told the Ambassador that what the MFA would like from us is simply a short reply agreeing (or not) in principle to this request. Ambassador explained that we would prefer to share this request with Washington before making any decision on the matter, but that we would try to have a reply in principle ready on June 16. Nothing to Hide, But What Will We Gain? -------------- ¶5. (C) COMMENT: This last-minute request to tour our IBB Facility is unfortunately typical of SADC. The organization has supposedly been working to "adjudicate" Zimbabwe's spurious complaints against Botswana for months, and we now discover that the Organ Troika is still spending time and resources in a silly attempt to verify whether or not there are MDC training camps within Botswana. The Embassy's initial inclination is to agree in principle to allow a SADC team to tour our IBB facility, presuming we are given the names and nationalities of all participants in advance so that we can vet them, and that we can agree upon a date and time that is mutually convenient for us. We would send an Embassy representative to be present in Selibe-Phikwe along with the IBB Manager during any SADC tour. However, we are also concerned that this tour is wholly unnecessary, and that by accommodating this request, we will somehow lend credence to Zimbabwe's fictional complaints. Zimbabwe's complaint is about the contents of the Studio 7 program, which is of course broadcast from Washington and simply relayed here like all other VOA programming. There is no need to tour our IBB facility if you want to learn about Studio 7. The program is available on the internet and is on the radio for all to hear. Whether or not we allow the tour, we need to emphasize to SADC that we stand behind the contents of the Studio 7 Program and we are saddened that the GOZ finds accurate news and information to be a threat. END COMMENT. NOLAN