US embassy cable - 01HARARE1168

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001168 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/11 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, MOPS, MCAP, ZI, CG 
SUBJECT: KABILA'S BRIEF VISIT TO ZIMBABWE FOCUSES ON DRC 
COMMERCIAL TIES TO THE ZANU-PF GOVERNMENT 
 
REF: HARARE 1131 
 
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
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1.  (C) ON MARCH 28, POLOFF OBTAINED A READOUT ON DRC 
PRESIDENT JOSEPH KABILA'S TWO-DAY VISIT TO HARARE FROM 
THE MFA'S PRINCIPAL ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (PAO) ON THE 
DRC, MAXWELL CHIKOROWONDO.  REGARDING KABILA'S ADDRESS 
TO PARLIAMENT (REFTEL), THE PAO NOTED THAT KABILA IS 
"PREPARED TO GO THE FULL MILE FOR PEACE" IN THE DRC, BUT 
CONTINUES TO INSIST THAT THE "AGGRESSOR STATES" WITHDRAW 
FROM DRC TERRITORY BEFORE THE ALLIES DO.  HE ALSO NOTED 
KABILA'S STATEMENT THAT SADC'S DECISION TO SEND TROOPS 
TO THE DRC WAS A UNANIMOUS ONE. 
 
2.  (C) CHIKOROWONDO REPORTED THAT KABILA HELD A "LONG" 
ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH PRESIDENT MUGABE, BUT THAT HE 
WAS NOT PRIVY TO WHAT WAS DISCUSSED.  KABILA ALSO MET 
WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER SWITHUN MOMBESHORA AND LANDS AND 
AGRICULTURE MINISTER JOSEPH MADE (BUT NOT THE FULL 
CABINET) TO DISCUSS "BILATERAL ISSUES IN THEIR 
RESPECTIVE FIELDS."  KABILA HELD A BREAKFAST MEETING 
WITH "NEARLY EVERY PROMINENT ZIMBABWEAN BUSINESSMAN," 
ACCORDING TO THE MFA OFFICIAL.  KABILA REPORTEDLY 
ENCOURAGED ZIMBABWEAN INDUSTRY TO INCREASE ITS ALREADY 
SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE DRC AND DISCUSSED WAYS IN 
WHICH IT COULD HAPPEN. 
 
3.  (C) POLOFF ASKED CHIKOROWONDO TO COMMENT ON THE 
PRESS ITEM QUOTING A MONUC REPORT THAT STATED THE ALLIED 
FORCES HAD NOT BEGUN TO WITHDRAW FROM THE DRC FRONTLINES 
AS THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO.  CHIKOROWONDO STATED THAT THE 
MONUC REPORT IN QUESTION WAS FROM THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF 
THE DISENGAGEMENT PROCESS THAT BEGAN IN MID-MARCH.  THE 
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REPORT HAS SINCE BEEN OVERTAKEN BY EVENTS AS THE ALLIED 
FORCES ARE WITHDRAWING ON SCHEDULE, AND WILL COMPLETE 
THEIR 15 KM PULLBACK IN KATANGA BY THE MARCH 29 
DEADLINE, THE PAO ASSERTED.  HE ALSO REMARKED THAT 
INITIALLY THERE HAD BEEN SOME CONFUSION OVER THE 
WITHDRAWAL OF FORCES FROM PWETO, BUT THAT HAS SINCE BEEN 
RESOLVED.  MONUC HAS YET TO CONFIRM THE PULLBACK OF 
BEMBA'S FORCES IN EQUATEUR, PROBABLY BECAUSE BEMBA HAS 
NOT YET GIVEN THE ORDER TO WITHDRAW, CHIKOROWONDO ADDED. 
 
4.  (C) COMMENT: KABILA'S VISIT TO ZIMBABWE APPEARED TO 
HAVE HAD THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: 1) TO THANK ZIMBABWE FOR 
ITS INTERVENTION IN THE DRC, 2) TO ASSUAGE ZIMBABWEAN 
CONCERNS ABOUT ITS CONTINUED PARTICIPATION, AND MOST 
IMPORTANT, 3) TO IMPROVE THE ECONOMIC LINKAGES BETWEEN 
THE TWO COUNTRIES.  IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT KABILA WOULD 
SPEND A LARGE BLOCK OF HIS LIMITED TIME HERE CONSULTING 
WITH MINISTERS WITH EXTRACTIVE-SECTOR PORTFOLIOS AND THE 
INDIGENOUS BUSINESS COMMUNITY.  ACCORDING TO OUR 
CONTACTS, THE CEO OF METROPOLITAN BANK, WHO IS ALSO A 
MEMBER OF THE INDIGENOUS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, HOSTED 
THE BREAKFAST MEETING.  IT INVOLVED ONLY MEMBERS WITH 
STRONG TIES TO ZANU-PF, AND NO MEMBERS OF THE WHITE 
BUSINESS COMMUNITY ATTENDED.  THESE MEETINGS, COUPLED 
WITH THE OVER-THE-TOP RECEPTION OF PRESIDENT KABILA BY 
PUTTING HIM ON THE SAME PLANE AS NELSON MANDELA, 
UNDERSCORE THE GOZ'S MAIN PURPOSE FOR ITS COSTLY 
INVOLVEMENT IN THE DRC.  END COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
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