US embassy cable - 00HARARE4821

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 004821 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/S 
TREASURY FOR ED BARBER, GRACE SONE AND HOFFMAN BARAK 
USDOC FOR 4510 HENDERSON 
STATE PASS USGS FOR GEORGE COAKLEY 
 
STATE PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITTAKER 
STATE PASS DEPT OF INTERIOR, WASHDC 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
 
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/03 
TAGS: EMIN, ECON, ZI 
SUBJECT: A U.S. COMPANY HELPS THE RESERVE BANK FINANCE AND 
MANAGE ITS GOLD SALES 
 
CLASSIFIED BY ECON/COMML CHIEF MARK PROKOP FOR REASONS 1.5 
B&D 
 
REF: HARARE 4808 
 
1.  (C) ON AUGUST 23 AMBASSADOR AND ECONOFF MET WITH CARL 
PETERSON, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, GERALD METALS INC., (A 
STAMFORD CONNECTICUT-BASED PRECIOUS METALS DEALER AND 
MERCHANT BANK) TO DISCUSS CONDITIONS IN ZIMBABWE, THE 
STATUS AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY ACT, AND 
TO LEARN MORE OF GERALD METALS' DEALINGS AND RELATIONSHIP 
WITH ZIMBABWE'S RESERVE BANK.  THE MEETING WAS THE FIRST 
TIME WE HAD HEARD OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO, AND 
THIS MESSAGE PROVIDES DETAILS ON THE JOINT HISTORY. 
 
2.  (C) ACCORDING TO PETERSON THE RELATIONSHIP BEGAN WHEN 
THE RESERVE BANK CHOSE GERALD METALS TO PROVIDE PRE-EXPORT 
FINANCING OF GOLD SALES IN 1984 WHEN ZIMBABWE HAD A NEED 
FOR FOREIGN CURRENCY CAUSED BY DROUGHT CONDITIONS.  IN 
1988, THE U.S. FIRM HELPED THE RESERVE BANK SETUP A GOLD 
JEWELRY MANUFACTURING FACILITY TO BOOST THE REVENUE 
RECEIVED FROM GOLD SALES.  AT ITS PEAK, WE WERE TOLD, THE 
PLANT EMPLOYED 2,000, THOUGH THAT IS NOW DOWN TO ABOUT 
1,200.  LAST YEAR THE WORKSHOP PRODUCED ABOUT 70,000 
OUNCES OF GOLD JEWELRY (ALL SOLD IN THE U.S. MARKET), OR 
ABOUT 8 PERCENT OF 1999 GOLD PRODUCTION.  THE BUSINESSMAN 
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TOLD US THAT THEIR INTRODUCTION OF AN ISRAELI MANAGER WHO 
OVERSAW STARTUP AND PRODUCTION FOR THE FIRST EIGHT YEARS 
OF THE JEWELRY OPERATION WAS THE IMPETUS BEHIND THE 
OPENING OF AN ISRAELI EMBASSY HERE ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO. 
WHEN WE POINTED OUT THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST WE HAD HEARD 
OF SUCH AN OPERATION, HE EXPLAINED THAT THE RESERVE BANK 
WAS VERY PROTECTIVE AND SECRETIVE ABOUT IT, AS THEY 
REALIZED THAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE OPERATION WOULD BRING 
ATTENTION, AND LIKELY, DEMANDS FOR A PIECE OF THE ACTION. 
REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP IN GENERAL BETWEEN GERALD 
METALS AND THE RESERVE BANK PETERSON NOTED THAT, "I HAVE 
ALWAYS FOUND THE RESERVE BANK TO BE SCRUPULOUSLY HONEST 
AND TRUSTWORTHY, AND THEY HAVE ALWAYS PAID AND HONORED 
THEIR COMMITMENTS COMPLETELY AND ON TIME."  HE POINTED TO 
THE EARLY PAYBACK OF A 12 MONTH USD 150 MILLION FACILITY 
AS EVIDENCE OF THIS. 
 
3.  (C) DESCRIBING THIS TRANSACTION, PETERSON TOLD US THAT 
IT WAS GERALD METALS THAT ARRANGED THE USD 150 MILLION 
FORWARD GOLD SALE IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR (HE TERMED IT PRE- 
EXPORT FINANCING), AND EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS A 12 MONTH 
CREDIT, IT HAD ALL BEEN PAID BACK BY LAST MONTH.   HE WAS 
UNWILLING TO SHARE DETAILS ON WHY THIS OCCURRED, GIVEN 
ZIMBABWE'S DIRE NEED FOR HARD CURRENCY, STATING ONLY THAT 
DELIVERY OF BULLION TO NEW YORK HAD BEEN SUFFICIENT TO PAY 
OFF THE LOAN.  HE WAS ALSO UNWILLING TO PROVIDE DETAILS OF 
THE CREDIT, SUCH AS THE INTEREST RATE AND PARTICIPANTS, 
SAYING ONLY THAT A NUMBER OF EUROPEAN AND ONE JAPANESE 
BANK HAD PARTICIPATED IN THE LENDING SYNDICATE.  HE DID 
TELL US THAT ALL OF THESE BANKS HAD RECENTLY EXPRESSED NO 
INTEREST IN PARTICIPATING IN ANY NEW ZIMBABWE CREDITS AT 
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THIS TIME. 
 
4.  (C) PETERSON SAID THAT HIS FIRM'S LATEST TRANSACTION 
WAS A $10 MILLION PRE-EXPORT LINE OF CREDIT TO BE USED BY 
THE RESERVE BANK TO FUND THE FOREIGN CURRENCY ACCOUNTS NOW 
ABLE TO BE HELD BY GOLD PRODUCERS (REFTEL).  HE STATED 
THAT THE RESERVE BANK WOULD LIKE THIS INCREASED IN OCTOBER 
OR NOVEMBER BY ANOTHER USD 10 TO 15 MILLION, BUT TO DO SO 
HE WOULD NEED THE PARTICIPATION OF COMMERCIAL BANKS.  "WE 
HANDLED THE $10 MILLION OURSELVES", HE STATED, "BUT THAT'S 
ABOUT AS BIG AS WE, AS A PRIVATE COMPANY, CAN GO." ECONOFF 
SHARED OUR VIEW OF THE VERY SERIOUS BALANCE OF PAYMENTS 
SITUATION FACING ZIMBABWE, AND HE ADMITTED THAT NEW CREDIT 
EXTENSION BY COMMERCIAL BANKS WOULD GROW MORE DIFFICULT IF 
NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO SECURE AS THE YEAR WORE ON. 
NEVERTHELESS, HE WANTED TO MAINTAIN THE EXCELLENT, AND 
PROFITABLE, WORKING RELATIONSHIP GERALD METALS HAD 
DEVELOPED WITH THE RESERVE BANK.  IN CLOSING WE OFFERED 
OUR ASSISTANCE GOING FORWARD, AND OUR APPRECIATION FOR THE 
INFORMATION PETERSON SHARED WITH US. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
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