US embassy cable - 03HARARE2096

UNCLAS HARARE 002096 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS 
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD 
AF FOR RAYNOR 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE 
 
1.  Under headline "U. S. efforts on Iraq reflect crisis in 
diplomatic ethics" the October 18 edition of the government- 
controlled daily newspaper "Chronicle" (circulation 45 - 
60,000) carried the following op-ed by Dr. Godfrey 
Chikowore, Head, International Relations and Social 
Development Studies, Institute of Development Studies, 
University of Zimbabwe, in which he encourages the United 
States to take the lead in consolidating "harmony and a 
global culture of peaceful co-existence among sovereign 
states."  Excerpts: 
 
". . .Having then unilaterally and literally ignored the 
United Nations ruling not to invade Iraq, in the 
contemporary, it would look like the Bush administration 
seeks to come to terms with the universally acknowledged 
diplomatic ethics to yet again seek a special ruling by the 
U. N. to map up a draft Iraq constitution and subsequently 
hold elections.  Apparently the position adopted by the 
Bush administration appears to be grossly inconsistent with 
the stipulations of the U. N. Charter and its host of 
Conventions on Human Rights and Democracy, Peace and 
Security.  Clearly, the U. S. position seeking a draft on 
Iraq literally conflicts with the basic international laws 
of respect for the national sovereignty of the Iraqis, 
freedom of choice, that is self-expression and the freedom 
of the Iraqis to equality with any other nationals 
worldwide.  The U. S.-generated situation currently 
building up over the Iraq draft constitutes in both moral 
and diplomatic terms a delicate multinational concern. . 
.While the U. S. could by a great margin consolidate 
harmony and a global culture of peaceful co-existence among 
sovereign states, the diplomatically discordant standing 
that it has adopted not only on Iraq, Afghanistan, the 
Palestinian-Israeli crisis, the Great Lakes region of 
Africa, and on Zimbabwe in particular, makes this world 
even a much more unsafe place to live in.  At least more 
than ever before, there is need to aspire to `global 
statesmanship' on the part of the current Bush 
administration and its companion, the Blair administration 
for the common good of mankind in the new millennium." 
 
SULLIVAN