US embassy cable - 00HARARE6086

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 006086 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH 
 
LONOON FOR GURNEY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2010 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: SENIOR ZIMBABWEAN OFFICIAL ETENDS A PEACE 
FEELER TO THE BRITISH 
 
REF: HARARE 6082 
 
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCOONALD FORREASONS 1.5. 
(B) ANO (D) . 
 
1.  (C) BRITISH DEUTY HIQH COMMISSIONER IAN HAY- 
CAMPBELL INFORMEDDCM OCTOBER 26 THAT MINISTRY OF 
FOREIQN AFFAIRS ERMANENT SECRETARY WILLARD CHIWEWE HAD 
SUMMONED RITISH HIQH COMMISSIONER PETER LONQWORTH 
SUDDENLYON OCTOBER 16.  LONQWORTH ASSUMED THE SUBJECT 
OFTHEIR CONVERSATION WOULD BE AN ARTICLE THAT HAD 
PPEARED THAT DAY IN THE GOVERNMENT-INFLUENCED 
NESPAPER, "THE HERALD," QUOTINQ FROM AN OLD INTERVIE 
WITH PETER HAIN, THE BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE OR 
AFRICA, WHO WAS VOICED HIS OPINION ON THE LAN QUESTION 
IN ZIMBABWE.  INSTEAD, A JOVIAL CHIWEW RECEIVED 
LONQWORTH CORDIALLY, ENQAQED THE LATTE IN QOOD NATURED 
BANTER, TOLD AND ELICITED STORIS AND, AFTER NEARLY TWO 
HOURS, FINALLY CAME TO HI POINT: HE ASKED WHAT IT WOULD 
TAKE TO NORMALIZERELATIONS WITH BRITAIN.  LONQWORTH 
REPORTEDLY ANWERED, "THAT'S EASY," AND TICKED OFF A 
THREE-ITE LIST: RESTORATION OF THE RULE OF LAW ON THE 
OCCPIED FARMS, A RETURN TO THE PRINCIPLES AGREED UPON 
AT THE 1998 DONORS' CONFERENCE ON LAND, AND SERIOUS 
STEPS ON THE PART OF THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT TO 
ADDRESS THE COUNTRY'S CURRENT MACROECONOMIC INSTABILITY. 
ACCORDING TO HAY-CAMPBELL, UPON HEARINQ THE ANSWER 
CHIWEWE "MADE A FACE," BUT PRESUMABLY REPORTED THE HIQH 
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COMMISSIONER'S ANSWER TO HIS SUPERIORS. 
 
2.  (C) THE BRITISH DEPUTY HIQH COMMISSIONER ALSO 
REPORTED THAT ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS EARLIER THE DEAN OF 
THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, THE PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE, 
AMBASSADOR ALI HALIMEH, HAD APPROACHED LONQWORTH AT A 
BARBECUE AT THE LATTER RESIDENCE AND ASKED WHAT IT WOULD 
TAKE FOR THE BRITISH TO PATCH UP THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH 
ZIMBABWE.  LONGWORTH TOLD THE DEAN, WHO IS KNOWN TO BE 
VERY CLOSE TO PRESIDENT MUQABE, EXACTLY WHAT HE TOLD 
CHIWEWE.  ALTHOUQH HAY-CAMPBELL WOULD NOT QO SO FAR AS 
TO SAY THE INITIATIVE HAD COME FROM MUQABE HIMSELF, HE 
INFERRED THAT THERE WAS CONCERN AT THE HIQHEST LEVELS OF 
THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT THAT SOMETHINQ HAD TO BE DONE 
TO RESTORE THEIR TIES WITH BRITAIN. 
 
3.  (C) IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT, GERMAN DCM WERNER 
KOEHLER TOLD DCM OCTOBER 26 THAT HIS AMBASSADOR, FRITZ 
FLIMM, HAD MET THAT DAY WITH THE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT, 
EMMERSON MNANQAQWA, TO REQISTER HIS GOVERNMENT'S CONCERN 
ABOUT THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT'S FAILURE TO APPLY THE 
RULE OF LAW ON OCCUPIED COMMERCIAL FARMS.  THE NORMALLY 
PLACID MNANGAGWA LAUNCHED INTO A VIGOROUS LECTURE 
QUOTING THE PARTY LINE CHAPTER AND VERSE.  THE SENIOR 
GERMAN DIPLOMAT LEFT WITH THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT 
THE IMPEACHMENT MOTION FILED ON OCTOBER 25 HAD TOUCHED A 
RAW NERVE. 
 
4.  (C) COMMENT: IT'S A SIGN THAT THE ZIMBABWEAN 
GOVERNMENT PERCEIVES THAT IT'S UP AGAINST THE WALL WHEN 
IT REACHES OUT TO THE BRITISH TO HELP END ITS 
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INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION AND SIMULTANEOUSLY REJECTS THE 
ADVICE OF THE ENVOY OF A PROMINENT MEMBER OF THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO BE 
ACCEPTED IN DECENT SOCIETY AGAIN.  IN A FIT OF PIQUE, 
PRESIDENT MUGABE THREATENED TO WITHDRAW HIS NATIONAL 
RECONCILIATION POLICY AND IN SO DOING LOST HIS LAST 
SHRED OF INTERNATIONAL CREDIBILITY.  WE ARE CONCERNED 
THAT THE ZANU-PF-LED GOVERNMENT WILL DEAL WITH ITS 
CURRENT PREDICAMENT THROUGH ITS TRIED AND TESTED METHOD: 
VIOLENCE.  END COMMENT. 
 
MCDONALD 
 
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