US embassy cable - 01HARARE1259

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001259 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/11 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, PINR, ZI 
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE FOREIGN MINISTER THREATENS STATE OF 
EMERGENCY IF SANCTIONS COME TO PASS 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  01259  060935Z 
 
1.  (U) FOREIGN MINISTER STANISLAUS MUDENGE, IN AN 
ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT ON APRIL 4, THREATENED THAT THE 
GOZ COULD DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY IF INTERNATIONAL 
SANCTIONS WERE IMPOSED ON ZIMBABWE, ACCORDING TO BOTH OF 
HARARE'S DAILY NEWSPAPERS ON APRIL 6.  MUDENGE 
REPORTEDLY STATED THAT "IN MOST CASES, DUE TO THE 
DEMANDS FOR NATIONAL SURVIVAL, COUNTRIES UNDER SANCTIONS 
USUALLY RESORT TO DECLARING STATES OF EMERGENCY.  I DO 
NOT SAY ZIMBABWE WILL NECESSARILY FOLLOW THIS EXAMPLE BY 
DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY, BUT ONE CANNOT RULE IT 
OUT."  THE FOREIGN MINISTER WENT ON TO SAY THAT RULE BY 
DECREE "NEITHER PROMOTES DEMOCRACY NOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY 
IN ZIMBABWE, THE PURPORTED OBJECTIVES OF THE ZIMBABWE 
DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL BEFORE THE USA 
SENATE." 
 
2.  (C) COMMENT: IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT SPARKED THIS 
OUTBURST BY THE FOREIGN MINISTER, WHO RARELY SPEAKS IN 
PARLIAMENT.  HIS REMARKS, HOWEVER, REFLECT FRUSTRATION 
AT ZIMBABWE'S GROWING ISOLATION AND AT THE MOVES BY SOME 
-- INCLUDING THE U.S. CONGRESS, THE COMMONWEALTH, AND 
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT -- TO TURN UP THE HEAT ON THE 
MUGABE REGIME.  MUDENGE, ONE OF THE REGIME'S MORE HARD- 
LINE FIGURES, IS KNOWN FOR MAKING BLUSTERY STATEMENTS 
THAT REFLECT THE GOVERNMENT'S GROWING DESPERATION.  WE 
SUSPECT WE WILL HEAR A LOT MORE NOISE IN THIS CONNECTION 
AND ALREADY HAVE SEEN SOME HAM-HANDED ATTEMPTS BY 
GOVERNMENT TO ABRIDGE CONSTITUTIONALLY-GUARANTEED 
FREEDOMS.  WE ALSO HAVE HEARD THIS SORT OF TALK BEFORE. 
THE DIFFERENCE THIS TIME IS THAT MUDENGE WENT STRAIGHT 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  01259  060935Z 
TO A PUBLIC FORUM TO LEVEL HIS THREAT.  END COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
>