TSVANGIRAI BRIEFS DIPLOMATS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000772 SIPDIS AF/S FOR B.WALCH DRL FOR N. WILETT ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR M. GAVIN STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ZI SUBJECT: TSVANGIRAI BRIEFS DIPLOMATS REF: HARARE 736 Classified By: CDA Donald Petterson for reason 1.4 (b) & (d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on September 24 briefed diplomatic chiefs of mission on the status of the inclusive government (IG). His remarks were essentially a reiteration of what he told the Charge two days earlier about the aims of the Global Political Agreement (GPA),the ZANU-PF-inspired impediments to their achievement, his take on what happened at the SADC Summit in Kinshasa, his confrontation with Mugabe about the stalled GPA, and their subsequent meeting, which focused on means to unglue the stalled constitutional process (ref). Tsvangirai also responded to questions on sanctions, land and conservancy seizures, prospects for further progress on the GPA, and the SADC Tribunal. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) Tsvangirai convoked chiefs of mission, including the Charge, on September 24 to brief on progress of the GPA and to answer questions on the political and economic environment. His initial remarks covered areas discussed with the Charge on September 22. He touched on the following areas in a question and answer session. -- Sanctions: Tsvangirai said: "Within government there are different interpretations of sanctions and their effect." But there is "no argument about the need to end sanctions." He emphasized the importance of "normalizing relations with the EU and the U.S.; of course with the U.S. on ZDERA." Although he acknowledged that ZDERA's impact was symbolic rather than substantive, he maintained that "coupled with the travel ban, (ZDERA) feeds ignorance or misrepresentations about sanctions." Tsvangirai noted that the EU and U.S. had established benchmarks, and ending sanctions and repealing ZDERA would depend on progress in meeting the benchmarks. -- Land and conservancy seizures: Tsvangirai stated that land reform is irreversible, but "the current activities" are "politically motivated" and "impair confidence." The conservancy issue is a "political challenge" in that the president says one thing but the government does another thing. (COMMENT: The president is saying nothing on this issue, and ZANU-PF insiders are taking advantage of his silence to act. END COMMENT.) It is imperative that actions that "preserve the negative image of Zimbabwe" be ended. The ministries of lands and environment will put forward proposals on land and conservancies which will be taken up by parliament after it reconvenes October 6. Rhino poaching is another black eye for Zimbabwe's image with foreign investors. -- Commissions: Tsvangirai expects progress soon (i.e. after Mugabe returns from the UNGA and Venezuela) on the media commission first and then other commissions provided for in the GPA (elections, anti-corruption, and human rights). He said te state media's campaign of hatred had to end and implied that some in ZANU-PF agreed. -- SADC Tribunal: The statement by Minister of Justice Q-- SADC Tribunal: The statement by Minister of Justice Chinamasa that Zimbabwe was pulling out of the Tribunal was "unfortunate," according to Tsvangirai. "We have agreed that we are not pulling out, but in truth the Tribunal has not been operationalized, and heads of state are looking into this. Its mandate is being reviewed." Once the Tribunal "has been given a mandate," its decisions "must be observed." (COMMENT: According to Tsvangirai advisors, he garbled the MDC message on the SADC Tribunal. His talking points were that the Tribunal was properly constituted and that its decisions should be respected. END COMMENT.) -- The imperative of progress: The GPA has raised HARARE 00000772 002 OF 002 Zimbabweans' expectations. Donors have been greatly helpful in the effort to provide for food security. But "failure of donors to help enough would be damaging." As it is, "the failure to implement parts of the GPA threatens the inclusive government." Unless there is progress, people will react by asking, "Is it worth it?" ¶3. (C) COMMENT: Although Tsvangirai did not condemn sanctions and call for an unconditional end to them, and did not call for repeal of ZDERA, his remarks in a semi-public forum on sanctions and ZDERA seem to be a response to ZANU-PF's incessant criticism that he and the MDC are not fulfilling their commitment in the GPA to push for an end to them. It is important to note that he continues to link actions on sanctions and ZDERA to benchmarks of reform. Whether Tsvangirai's seeming confidence, expressed in his September 22 meeting with the Charge and in this meeting with chiefs of mission, in his ability to persuade Mugabe and company to give in on some of the issues at hand is well placed will become evident in the near future. But from the inception of the IG, Tsvangirai and the MDC have made concessions to Mugabe and have received precious little in return. END COMMENT. PETTERSON