US embassy cable - 01HARARE618

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000618 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/11 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, MOPS, ZI, CG 
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC 
SITUATION 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY: MINISTER OF STATE FOR NATIONAL SECURITY 
NICHOLAS GOCHE TOLD CHARGE FEBRUARY 1 THAT ZIMBABWE IS 
COMMITTED TO THE LUSAKA PEACE PROCESS AND URGED THE US 
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TO CONTINUE PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN RESOLVING THE 
DRC WAR.  ZIMBABWE WANTS TO GIVE NEW DRC PRESIDENT 
JOSEPH KABILA TIME TO STABILIZE THE SITUATION IN 
KINSHASA, ACCORDING TO GOCHE.  ZIMBABWE DOES NOT KNOW 
WHETHER KABILA IS A TEMPORARY FIGURE OR NOT, AND IT DOES 
NOT REALLY KNOW WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS IN KINSHASA, 
GOCHE ADMITTED.  GOCHE'S REMARKS REINFORCED OUR 
ASSESSMENT THAT ZIMBABWE IS BIDING ITS TIME IN THE DRC 
UNTIL IT CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHAT, IF 
ANYTHING, IT CAN DO ABOUT IT.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (S) ON FEBRUARY 1, CHARGE, ACCOMPANIED BY ROAL CHIEF 
AND POLOFF (NOTETAKER), CALLED ON MINISTER OF STATE FOR 
NATIONAL SECURITY NICHOLAS GOCHE, WHO IS ONE OF THE KEY 
FIGURES DIRECTING ZIMBABWE'S EFFORT IN THE DRC.  GOCHE 
NOTED THAT HE HAS MOSTLY RECOVERED FROM SERIOUS INJURIES 
SUSTAINED IN A CAR ACCIDENT IN OCTOBER, BUT WAS STILL 
EXPERIENCING SOME PAIN AND DISCOMFORT WITH HIS LEFT LEG. 
HE SAID HIS INJURIES HAD NOT REQUIRED SURGERY. 
 
3.  (C) CHARGE ASKED GOCHE FOR HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE DRC 
SITUATION FOLLOWING LAURENT KABILA'S ASSASSINATION AND 
ZIMBABWE'S NEXT STEPS.  GOCHE STATED THAT THE DRC ALLIES 
ARE COMMITTED TO PEACE AND THE LUSAKA ACCORDS.  LUSAKA 
IS THE ONLY FRAMEWORK UNDER WHICH ZIMBABWE AND THE OTHER 
PLAYERS CAN WITHDRAW THEIR FORCES.  ZIMBABWE WANTS A 
ROLE IN THE NEW DISPENSATION IN KINSHASA TO ENSURE THAT 
ITS GOALS FOR PEACE ARE REALIZED, GOCHE CONTINUED, BUT 
IT CANNOT ACT ALONE.  IT NEEDS THE OTHER PLAYERS.  GOCHE 
EXPRESSED THE BELIEF THAT UGANDA DOES NOT SHARE THE 
ALLIES' DESIRE FOR PEACE, AND THAT IT IS MORE INTERESTED 
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IN OVERTHROWING THE KABILA GOVERNMENT.  THE MINISTER 
MENTIONED THAT RWANDAN PRESIDENT KAGAME HAD ATTEMPTED TO 
CONTACT PRESIDENT MUGABE, BUT HE DID NOT KNOW IF THAT 
CONVERSATION HAD TAKEN PLACE YET.  AS FOR THE NON-STATE 
ACTORS SUCH AS THE INTERAHAMWE, THE MINISTER STATED THAT 
THEY NEED TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION, BUT THAT THEY 
SHOULD NOT BE A HINDRANCE TO THE PEACE PROCESS. 
 
4.  (C) ZIMBABWE WANTS TO GIVE KABILA TIME TO STABILIZE 
THE SITUATION IN KINSHASA, THE MINISTER PROFESSED.  IT 
WANTS KABILA TO FIRMLY ESTABLISH HIS AUTHORITY SO THAT 
WHATEVER AGREEMENT HE REACHES WITH HIS OPPONENTS WILL 
LAST.  BUT ZIMBABWE DOES WANT HIM TO NEGOTIATE WITH BOTH 
HIS INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FOES.  GOCHE BELIEVES THAT 
JOSEPH KABILA IS MORE FLEXIBLE THAN HIS FATHER WAS. 
DESPITE THIS, THE GOZ DOES NOT KNOW IF KABILA WILL BE A 
TEMPORARY FIGURE OR NOT--THE DUST HAS NOT QUITE SETTLED 
FROM HIS FATHER'S KILLING.  GOCHE QUICKLY CORRECTED 
HIMSELF AND SAID THAT AGREEMENTS INTO WHICH THE NEW 
CONGOLESE PRESIDENT ENTERED WOULD BE HONORED.  KABILA 
NEEDS MORE FRIENDS THAN HIS FATHER HAD, AND IT IS 
IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO BE MORE OPEN AND TO ARTICULATE HIS 
POLICIES MORE CLEARLY, THE SECURITY MINISTER OFFERED. 
WHEN ASKED IF THE ANGOLANS WERE CALLING THE SHOTS IN 
KINSHASA, GOCHE SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK THEY WERE, 
BUT HE DID NOT REALLY KNOW WHO WAS CALLING THE SHOTS, 
BUT IT SHOULD BE THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE. 
 
5.  (C) GOCHE NOTED THAT IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT KABILA 
FELT SECURE ENOUGH TO GO TO THE UNITED STATES SO SOON 
AFTER HIS INAUGURATION.  ZIMBABWE IS "HAPPY" THAT KABILA 
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IS VISITING WASHINGTON, AND GOCHE URGED THE U.S. TO 
CONTINUE PLAYING A CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE IN RESOLVING THE 
DRC CRISIS.  THE DRC WILL ALSO NEED A HUGE AMOUNT OF AID 
TO REBUILD, AND GOCHE ENCOURAGED THE U.S. TO CONTRIBUTE 
SUBSTANTIALLY TO THIS EFFORT.  HE BELIEVES IT IS 
IMPORTANT THAT THE U.S. REMAIN "UNBIASED" IN ITS 
DIALOGUE WITH THE DRC PLAYERS.  FURTHERMORE, THE U.S. 
SHOULD NOT BE RELUCTANT TO PERSUADE THE UN TO FULLY 
DEPLOY MONUC.  WHEN ASKED IF ALLIED FORCES WERE 
REGROUPING NEAR PWETO, GOCHE STATED THAT IT WAS NOT 
TRUE, AND THAT IF THE ALLIES HAD WANTED TO RETAKE PWETO, 
THEY WOULD HAVE DONE SO WITH EASE BY NOW. 
 
6.  (C) COMMENT: DESPITE HIS POSITION AS ONE OF THE KEY 
ZIMBABWEAN FIGURES ON DRC POLICY, MINISTER GOCHE WAS NOT 
PARTICULARLY FORTHCOMING AND STUCK TO THE STANDARD GOZ 
LINE ON THE DRC.  HIS COMMENTS REINFORCE OUR ASSESSMENT 
THAT ZIMBABWE IS STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE INTERNAL 
DRC POLITICAL SITUATION AND WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN STILL 
INFLUENCE EVENTS IN KINSHASA.  GOCHE'S ATYPICALLY STRONG 
URGING OF GREATER U.S. INVOLVEMENT SIGNALS TO US THAT 
THE GOZ IS MORE KEEN THAN EVER FOR A RESOLUTION THAT 
WOULD PERMIT IT TO BRING BACK THE BULK OF ITS DRC FORCES 
 
                          SECRET 
 
                              SECRET        PTQ9449 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  00618  02 OF 02  011309Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   MFA-01   NP-00    ACQ-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   DODE-00 
      DOTE-00  DS-00    EB-00    FAAE-00  FBIE-00  VC-00    TEDE-00 
      INR-00   VCE-00   NSAE-00  PM-00    SSO-00   SS-00    PMB-00 
      DSCC-00  DRL-02   NFAT-00  SAS-00     /003W 
                  ------------------BEFE33  011309Z /38 
O 011307Z FEB 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8162 
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
RWANDA COLLECTIVE 
AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE 
 
S E C R E T SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000618 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/11 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, MOPS, ZI, CG 
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE SECURITY MINISTER COMMENTS ON DRC 
SITUATION 
 
BEFORE THE EARLY 2002 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
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