TSVANGIRAI BRIEFS AMBASSADOR ON GOZ PROGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000360 SIPDIS AF/S FOR B.WALCH DRL FOR N. WILETT ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ZI SUBJECT: TSVANGIRAI BRIEFS AMBASSADOR ON GOZ PROGRESS Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d) -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told the Ambassador May 1 that he is reasonably satisfied with the progress of the new transitional government. Outstanding issues in the process of being resolved include: governorships, permanent secretaries and ambassadorships; political detainees; and farm invasions. The two major remaining unresolved issues are the status of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Gideon Gono and the swearing-in of Roy Bennett as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Tsvangirai also said he is planning to visit Washington at the beginning of June. END SUMMARY. -------------- Outstanding Issues -------------- ¶2. (C) Noting that he, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara had met several times in the last couple of weeks, Tsvangirai stated that most of the outstanding issues had been resolved. Thirteen (of 30) permanent secretaries had been agreed upon and the three principals would meet to agree on the remainder. Mugabe had agreed to a division of governorships, but had insisted that the outgoing governors be given severance packages. Tsvangirai said he had found a donor to finance the packages (he did not say who) and that Mugabe would soon make an announcement. MDC-T would get five governor positions and ZANU-PF would either get five or give MDC-M one position. Ambassadors, according to Tsvangirai, would be replaced as their tours ended and would be divided between ZANU-PF and MDC-T. ¶3. (C) Tsvangirai said the most difficult remaining issue remained Gono. (NOTE: He conceded there was little he could do about removing Attorney General Johannes Tomana. END NOTE.) He had talked for over two hours with Gono and told him he had two options. He could remain in office with his power stripped while he continued to be vilified around the country. (According to Tsvangirai, Gono is routinely booed at rallies, and Zimbabweans from all walks of life hold him responsible for the worthlessness of their pensions.) Or Gono could do the honorable thing and leave the RBZ. Gono countered that he wanted a severance package and assurance that he would not be prosecuted. ¶4. (C) Minister of Finance Tendai Biti was adamant that Gono had to leave the RBZ and that the issue should be dealt with as soon as possible. Tsvangirai said he and Biti intended to confront Mugabe and tell him that Gono's exit was essential to opening up lines of credit. ¶5. (C) Tsvangirai told the Ambassador he had directly raised with Mugabe his refusal to swear-in Roy Bennett and had asked Mugabe whether it was due to personal animus toward Bennett. Mugabe replied in the negative; he said his inaction was based on the fact that Bennett had pending criminal charges. (NOTE: Several other ministers including Biti and Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Eric Matinenga Qof Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Eric Matinenga also have pending charges. END NOTE.) ¶6. (C) Turning to farm invasions, Tsvangirai said Mutambara had tabled a report with Cabinet, based on his joint investigation with the Ministers of Home Affairs and Lands into several recent intrusions. Mugabe, Tsvangirai and their deputies would discuss the issue. Tsvangirai had proposed a land audit and the establishment of a commission to deal with HARARE 00000360 002 OF 002 titles. ¶7. (C) Finally, Tsvangirai acknowledged that two political detainees remained in police custody, after posting bond, while receiving hospital care. He promised this situation would soon be sorted out. -------------- Looking Forward -------------- ¶8. (C) Pointing out that the government was less than three-months old, Tsvangirai said he was reasonably satisfied with progress. He had been prepared to give a press conference last week to denounce progress on outstanding issues, and then to appeal to SADC. But he was pleased with his last meeting with Mugabe and believed that all issues would soon be resolved. Tsvangirai commented that he was looking forward to visiting Washington at the beginning of June, but had informed Mugabe his trip was dependent on sufficient progress on the outstanding issues. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶9. (C) Tsvangirai has been under pressure from many of his own officials and from civil society to make more rapid progress on the outstanding issues. While there may be agreement in principle on a number of these issues, they are still not resolved, and there has been little progress on the major issues of Gono and Bennett. Biti has returned from Washington and London and informed Tsvangirai that the West is looking for more, and Tsvangirai no doubt wants to demonstrate his ability to deliver when he makes his own trip to the U.S. and UK next in June. For the moment, he believes he can achieve more by working behind the scenes with Mugabe than by confronting him. END COMMENT. MCGEE