US embassy cable - 00HARARE3545

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 003545 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF FOR P/DAS POWELL AND DAS SCHNEIDMAN 
AF/S FOR A. RENDER, D. BOOTH, AND T. FAULK 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA WJEFFERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/10 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ZI, SF 
SUBJECT:  OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES WILL STRESS 
POST-ELECTION RECONCILIATION 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  03545  01 OF 02  290913Z 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD. 
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  FOLLOWING ZIMBABWE'S JUNE 24-25 
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS, REPRESENTATIVES OF OTHER 
AFRICAN COUNTRIES HERE HAVE STATED THEIR INTENTION 
TO REACH OUT TO BOTH ZANU-PF AND THE MOVEMENT FOR 
DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) AND URGE BOTH SIDES TO WORK 
TOWARD NATIONAL RECONCILIATION.  PARTICIPANTS IN A 
JUNE 27 MEETING OF THE AFRICAN DIPLOMATIC CORPS 
STRESSED THIS THEME, AS DID SENIOR SOUTH AFRICAN 
PARLIAMENTARIAN EBRAHIM EBRAHIM IN A JUNE 28 
CONVERSATION WITH US.  EBRAHIM HAD MET THE PREVIOUS 
EVENING WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE AND FOUND HIM TO BE IN 
A CONCILIATORY FRAME OF MIND, ALTHOUGH STILL 
PREOCCUPIED WITH PERCEIVED PLOTS AGAINST HIM.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
READOUT ON SOUTH AFRICAN MEETING WITH MUGABE 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C)  IN A JUNE 28 CONVERSATION WITH CAPE TOWN- 
BASED TDY POLOFF, SENIOR SOUTH AFRICAN 
PARLIAMENTARIAN EBRAHIM EBRAHIM DISCUSSED SOUTH 
AFRICA'S PLANS FOR NEXT STEPS REGARDING RELATIONS 
WITH ZIMBABWE FOLLOWING THE JUNE 24-25 PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTION.  EBRAHIM, WHO CHAIRS PARLIAMENT'S FOREIGN 
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AND SITS ON THE INTERNATIONAL 
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE ANC'S NATIONAL EXECUTIVE 
COUNCIL, HAD PARTICIPATED IN PRESIDENT MUGABE'S JUNE 
27 MEETING WITH THREE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN 
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PAGE 03        HARARE  03545  01 OF 02  290913Z 
PARLIAMENTARY OBSERVER DELEGATION.  EBRAHIM SAID 
THAT HE HAD FOUND MUGABE TO BE IN A FAIRLY 
CONCILIATORY FRAME OF MIND AND FOCUSED ON 
RECONCILIATION IN THE WAKE OF THE VIOLENCE THAT TOOK 
PLACE IN THE LEAD-UP TO THE ELECTIONS.  MUGABE HAD 
ACKNOWLEDGED, EBRAHIM SAID, THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO 
MAKE SOME SORT OF GESTURE TO VICTIMS OF THE 
VIOLENCE.  HOWEVER, EBRAHIM ALSO FOUND THAT MUGABE 
WAS STILL PREOCCUPIED WITH SUPPOSED CONSPIRACIES 
AGAINST HIM BY THE BRITISH AND OTHERS. 
 
3.  (C)  SOUTH AFRICA, EBRAHIM TOLD POLOFF, WILL 
REMAIN CLOSELY ENGAGED WITH ZIMBABWE TO ENCOURAGE A 
PROCESS OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AND THE 
REVITALIZATION OF ZIMBABWE'S ECONOMY.  HE SAID THAT 
HE WAS PLEASED WITH THE USG'S ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE 
SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT'S QUIET DIPLOMACY APPROACH, 
AND TOLD POLOFF THAT A MAJOR PRIORITY FOR THE SOUTH 
AFRICANS WILL BE ENCOURAGING THE HEALING OF 
ZIMBABWE'S RIFT WITH BRITAIN. 
 
4.  (C)  THE SAG, EBRAHIM SAID, WILL SEEK TO 
STRENGTHEN ITS TIES WITH BOTH ZANU-PF AND THE MDC 
AND WILL ENCOURAGE MUGABE TO OFFER A FEW CABINET 
POSITIONS TO THE MDC.  ASKED ABOUT STRAINS BETWEEN 
THE MDC AND THE ANC, EBRAHIM, WHO WAS ABOUT TO MEET 
WITH SENIOR MDC MEMBER WELSHMAN NCUBE BEFORE 
DEPARTING FOR SOUTH AFRICA, ACKNOWLEDGED THE RIFT 
AND SAID IT WAS TIME THAT IT WAS REPAIRED.  EBRAHIM 
NOTED THAT MUGABE REMAINED SUSPICIOUS OF THE MDC'S 
SUPPOSED FOREIGN FINANCIAL BACKING, AND IMPLICITLY 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  03545  01 OF 02  290913Z 
EXPRESSED AGREEMENT WITH THIS SUSPICION BY POINTING 
OUT THAT A WELL-ORGANIZED MDC RALLY EBRAHIM HAD 
RECENTLY ATTENDED INCLUDED A SLICKLY PRODUCED VIDEO 
THAT "COULD HAVE BEEN PRODUCED BY SAATCHI AND 
SAATCHI."  (NOTE:  AN MDC OFFICIAL HAS TOLD US THAT 
THE PARTY MADE A MISTAKE IN REACHING OUT TO THE 
DEMOCRATIC PARTY, SOUTH AFRICA'S OFFICIAL 
OPPOSITION, BEFORE THE ANC.  SHE THOUGHT THE MDC AND 
ANC COULD IMPROVE THEIR RELATIONS, BUT OPINED THAT 
THE ANC HAD LEGITIMATE CONCERNS ABOUT THE 
POSSIBILITY THAT THE LABOR UNION COSATU, WHICH IS A 
COALITION PARTNER OF THE ANC, WOULD TAKE A LESSON 
FROM THE LABOR-BASED MDC AND CHALLENGE THE ANC FROM 
WITHOUT.  END NOTE.) 
 
5.  (C)  EBRAHIM TOLD POLOFF THAT HE WAS PLEASED 
WITH THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION.  THERE WAS ONLY A 
NARROW RANGE OF OUTCOMES IN WHICH PEACE WOULD BE 
POSSIBLE, AND ZANU-PF'S NARROW VICTORY FELL WITHIN 
THIS RANGE.  IN PARTICULAR, A ZANU-PF LOSS COULD 
HAVE BEEN DESTABILIZING.  EBRAHIM NOTED THAT, UNLIKE 
IN THE PAST, WHEN ZIMBABWE WAS ESSENTIALLY A ONE- 
PARTY STATE, THERE IS NOW A MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM.  HE 
REJECTED THE VIEW OF THE EU MISSION AND OTHERS THAT 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ0437 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  03545  02 OF 02  290913Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00  SMEC-00  DODE-00 
      SRPP-00  DS-00    FBIE-00  VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00 
      IO-00    LAB-01   L-00     VCE-00   AC-01    NSAE-00  OIC-02 
      OMB-01   OPIC-01  PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00 
      SP-00    IRM-00   TRSE-00  USIE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  DRL-02 
      G-00     NFAT-00  SAS-00     /009W 
                  ------------------684F0D  290913Z /38 
P 290914Z JUN 00 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6468 
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 003545 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF FOR P/DAS POWELL AND DAS SCHNEIDMAN 
AF/S FOR A. RENDER, D. BOOTH, AND T. FAULK 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
PASS USAID FOR AFR/SA WJEFFERS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/01/10 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ZI, SF 
SUBJECT:  OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES WILL STRESS 
POST-ELECTION RECONCILIATION 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  03545  02 OF 02  290913Z 
PRE-ELECTION VIOLENCE MILITATED AGAINST A 
DETERMINATION THAT THE JUNE 24-25 ELECTION WAS FREE 
AND FAIR.  WHILE NOT RULING OUT THE POSSIBILITY 
THAT ZANU-PF HAD WON SOME SEATS UNFAIRLY, EBRAHIM 
OPINED THAT THE ELECTION HAD SUBSTANTIALLY REFLECTED 
THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE.  THE MDC, HE SAID, SHOULD 
ACCEPT THE OUTCOME IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL 
RECONCILIATION.  HE RECALLED THAT THERE HAD BEEN 
WIDESPREAD DOUBT WITHIN THE ANC ABOUT THE RIVAL 
INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY'S VICTORY IN KWAZULU-NATAL 
(EBRAHIM'S HOME AREA) IN SOUTH AFRICA'S FIRST 
DEMOCRATIC ELECTION IN 1994, BUT THE PARTY HAD 
ACCEPTED THE INKATHA WIN IN THE INTEREST OF NATIONAL 
RECONCILIATION. 
 
OTHER AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS URGE "UNITY IN DIVERSITY" 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
6. (C)  TANZANIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER ALEXANDER 
MUGANDA TOLD THE AMBASSADOR JUNE 28 THAT THE AFRICAN 
AMBASSADORS HERE HAD MET THE DAY BEFORE TO DISCUSS 
POST-ELECTION ENGAGEMENT WITH THE GOZ.  THE AFRICAN 
AMBASSADORS AGREED THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO HELP 
ZIMBABWE HEAL ITS WOUNDS; ACCEPTANCE OF THE ELECTION 
RESULTS BY BOTH SIDES WOULD FOSTER THIS.  THE 
AMBASSADORS PLAN TO ENCOURAGE ZIMBABWEANS TO EMBRACE 
"UNITY IN DIVERSITY" AS A REAL MULTI-PARTY SYSTEM 
EMERGES HERE. 
 
7. (C)  THE AFRICAN AMBASSADOR AGREED AT THE 
MEETING THAT THERE ARE REAL WOUNDS THAT MUST BE 
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PAGE 03        HARARE  03545  02 OF 02  290913Z 
HEALED.  A VILLAGER WHOSE HOUSE HAS BEEN BURNED DOWN 
NEEDS TO HEAR WORDS OF RECONCILIATION FROM THE 
LEADERSHIP.  THE AMBASSADORS PLAN TO ASK THEIR 
CAPITALS FOR GUIDANCE ON NEXT STEPS; IN DOING SO 
THEY WILL ENCOURAGE A POLICY OF QUIET COMMUNICATION 
WITH BOTH ZANU-PF AND THE MDC.  THE TANZANIAN HIGH 
COMMISSIONER HAD TOLD AMBASSADOR MCDONALD SHORTLY 
BEFORE THE ELECTION THAT MOST OF THE AFRICAN 
AMBASSADORS HAD MET AS A GROUP WITH ZANU-PF NATIONAL 
CHAIRMAN JOHN NKOMO TO SEND A MESSAGE THAT CONTINUED 
VIOLENCE AND INTIMIDATION WOULD NOT BE TOLERATED. 
 
8.  (C)  COMMENT:  THE NON-CONFRONTATIONAL STANCE 
SOUTH AFRICA AND OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES TOOK BEFORE 
THE ELECTIONS MAY AFFORD THEM GREATER ENTREE TO 
ZIMBABWE'S LEADERSHIP THAN THAT GRANTED TO OTHER 
COUNTRIES.  IT IS ENCOURAGING TO SEE THAT THEY PLAN 
TO REACH OUT TO ALL SIDES AND THAT MESSAGE THEY 
DELIVER IS LIKELY TO BE ONE OF RECONCILIATION.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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