US embassy cable - 01HARARE779

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000779 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR WILLIAMS 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 02/14/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT:  MUGABE DEFIANT AT NEW YEAR'S RECEPTION FOR 
DIPLOMATS 
 
 
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CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL IRVING.  REASONS: 1.5 
(B) AND (D). 
 
REF:  HARARE 775 
 
SUMMARY 
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1.  (C) PRESIDENT MUGABE STRUCK A DEFIANT TONE FEBRUARY 19 
AT HIS ANNUAL NEW YEAR'S RECEPTION FOR HEADS OF DIPLOMATIC 
MISSIONS.  THE PRESIDENT SIGNALED THAT HE WOULD NOT 
PERMIT THE ACCREDITATION OF INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS FOR THE 
UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, INSISTING THAT ZIMBABWE 
WOULD NOT TOLERATE "DIRTY INTERFERING HANDS IN ITS DOMESTIC 
AFFAIRS."  ON LAND, HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT'S FAST TRACK 
RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM WAS IRREVERSIBLE, AND THAT DONORS WERE 
WELCOME TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE SO LONG AS THEY DID NOT 
INSIST ON CHANGES IN APPROACH.  MUGABE BLAMED THE COUNTRY'S 
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS ON THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL 
INSTITUTIONS AND FALLING PRICES IN THE INTERNATIONAL 
MINERAL AND COMMODITY MARKETS.  ALL IN ALL, THE PRESIDENT'S 
COMMENTS REVEALED A REMARKABLE CAPACITY FOR SELF-DELUSION. 
HIS INTIMATION THAT INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS WOULD NOT BE 
PERMITTED TO MONITOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ARE A 
TROUBLING SIGN THAT MUGABE HAS EVERY INTENTION OF RUNNING A 
DIRTY RACE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (U) USAID MISSION DIRECTOR REPRESENTED CHARGE 
D'AFFAIRES ON FEBRUARY 20 AT PRESIDENT MUGABE'S ANNUAL NEW 
YEAR'S RECEPTION FOR HEADS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS.  IN HIS 
PREPARED REMARKS, MOST OF WHICH WERE LATER BROADCAST ON THE 
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ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION'S NIGHTLY NEWSCAST, THE 
PRESIDENT TOUCHED ON THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, 
LAND REFORM, THE ECONOMY, AND THE DROC CONFLICT. 
 
ELECTION 
-------- 
 
3.  (U) MUGABE CLAIMED THAT THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF 
JUNE 2000 HAD ENDORSED ZANU-PF'S MANDATE, AND WERE WIDELY 
ACKNOWLEDGED TO HAVE BEEN BOTH FREE AND FAIR, DESPITE A 
"MASSIVE DEGREE OF EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE." HE WARNED THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NOT TO "EXPLOIT...THE PREVAILING 
PRACTICE OF OBSERVING ELECTIONS FOR PURPOSES OF INTERFERING 
WITH THEM AND UNDERMINING OUR PEOPLE'S SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO 
DECIDE WHO SHALL GOVERN."  IN WHAT WE TOOK TO BE A CLEAR 
SIGNAL OF THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTIONS IN THE UPCOMING 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, MUGABE EMPHASIZED THAT ZIMBABWE, AS 
A SOVEREIGN NATION, WOULD NOT TOLERATE "THE PHENOMENON OF 
DIRTY INTERFERING HANDS IN ITS INTERNAL AFFAIRS." 
 
LAND 
---- 
 
4.  (U) THE PRESIDENT WAS AS UNAPOLOGETIC AS EVER ON THE 
ISSUE OF LAND.  HE DECLARED THAT THE FAST TRACK PROGRAM 
WOULD CONTINUE UNABATED, AS "THIS COUNTRY CAN NEVER 
EXPERIENCE PEACE AND SECURITY IN THE FUTURE IF THE PRESENT 
COLONIAL DISPARITIES ARE PERPETUATED."  MUGABE ACKNOWLEDGED 
THE NEED FOR RESOURCES FOR LAND REFORM, BUT SAID 
INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE WOULD BE REJECTED "OUT OF HAND" IF 
DONORS INSISTED ON ADJUSTMENTS TO THE FAST TRACK APPROACH. 
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ECONOMY 
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5.  (U) AS HE HAS MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, THE PRESIDENT 
LAID THE BLAME FOR ZIMBABWE'S ECONOMIC DETERIORATION ON 
"EXOGENOUS" FORCES, SPECIFICALLY  CONDITIONALITIES IMPOSED 
BY THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND BY 
DEPRESSED PRICES IN THE INTERNATIONAL MINERAL AND COMMODITY 
MARKETS.  ZIMBABWE'S INTERNATIONAL IMAGE, MUGABE SAID, HAD 
SUFFERED BECAUSE OF ITS PORTRAYAL AS A COUNTRY TORN BY 
RAMPANT VIOLENCE AND INSTABILITY, AN INACCURATE PERCEPTION 
"PEDDLED BY BRITAIN AND ITS UNWITTING ALLIES." 
 
DROC 
---- 
 
6.  (U) MUGABE ASSERTED THAT ZIMBABWE AND ITS SADC 
NEIGHBORS WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK FOR A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT 
OF THE CONFLICT IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.  "WE 
ARE NOW MORE HOPEFUL THAN BEFORE.  FOR NOW, THE ALLIES IN 
THE CONGO, THAT IS, ANGOLA, NAMIBIA AND ZIMBABWE, REMAIN 
SOLIDLY TOGETHER BEHIND THE COUNTRY AND ITS NEW PRESIDENT, 
JOSEPH KABILA." 
 
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ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AID-00   AMAD-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DINT-00 
      DODE-00  DOTE-00  SRPP-00  DS-00    EB-00    EUR-00   FAAE-00 
      FBIE-00  VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    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    STR-00   TRSE-00 
      USIE-00  PMB-00   DSCC-00  PRM-01   DRL-02   G-00     NFAT-00 
      SAS-00     /009W 
                  ------------------C7C38F  201530Z /38 
P 201530Z FEB 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8254 
INFO NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000779 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR WILLIAMS 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 02/14/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PHUM, PREL, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT:  MUGABE DEFIANT AT NEW YEAR'S RECEPTION FOR 
DIPLOMATS 
 
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PAGE 02        HARARE  00779  02 OF 02  201530Z 
COMMENT 
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7.  (C) THE PRESIDENT'S RECEPTION IS AN ANNUAL EVENT THAT 
IS USUALLY LONG ON DIPLOMATIC FROTH AND SHORT ON 
SUBSTANTIVE ATTENTION TO ISSUES.  THIS YEAR, HOWEVER, 
MUGABE OBVIOUSLY CONSIDERED IT IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE SEVERAL 
OF THE HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY.  HIS REMARKS REVEALED AN 
AMAZING CAPACITY FOR SELF-DELUSION, AS HE DECLINED TO 
ACCEPT ONE IOTA OF BLAME FOR THE COUNTRY'S ECONOMIC DECLINE 
AND BREAKDOWN OF LAW AND ORDER.  HIS COMMENTS ON LAND AND 
THE ECONOMY WERE TYPICALLY VITRIOLIC, BROKE NO NEW GROUND, 
AND INDEED ADUMBRATED HIS LIKELY RESPONSE TO THE LETTER 
FROM UNDP ADMINISTRATOR MARK MALLOCH-BROWN.  ON THE OTHER 
HAND, MUGABE'S REFERENCE TO "DIRTY INTERFERING HANDS" IN 
ZIMBABWEAN ELECTIONS IS TROUBLING, AS IT APPEARS TO SIGNAL 
THE GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION NOT TO ALLOW INTERNATIONAL 
OBSERVERS TO MONITOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.  THE 
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS, COMBINED WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S 
EXPULSION OF TWO CRITICAL FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS (REFTEL), 
STRONGLY SUGGESTS THAT THE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO RUN A DIRTY 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND DOES NOT WANT FOREIGN JOURNALISTS 
OR INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS HERE AS WITNESSES. 
 
8.  (C) THE PRESIDENT APPEARED TO BE IN GOOD HEALTH AND 
LINGERED AT THE RECEPTION MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL.  ALTHOUGH 
MUGABE HAS, IN THE PAST, DEPARTED ABOUT 15 MINUTES AFTER 
HIS SPEECH, HE STAYED SO LONG ON THIS OCCASION THAT MANY 
ATTENDEES EVENTUALLY IGNORED PROTOCOL AND LEFT BEFORE HE 
DID.  ABOUT HALF THE CROWD HAD DEPARTED WHEN THE USAID 
MISSION DIRECTOR TOOK HER LEAVE, AND THE PRESIDENT WAS 
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STILL THERE GLAD-HANDING.  END COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
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