US embassy cable - 01HARARE1730

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001730 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY 
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS 
NAIROBI FOR TERRY PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/11 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, ZI, CG, RW, UG, AO 
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE: MNANGAGWA EXPOUNDS ON DRC MATTERS 
WITH VISITING INR OFFICIAL 
 
REF: HARARE 1572 
 
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CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D'AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR 
REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (C) IN A MAY 22 MEETING WITH VISITING INR POLITICAL- 
MILITARY AFFAIRS SPECIALIST STEVE WEIGERT, SPEAKER OF 
PARLIAMENT AND ZANU-PF SECRETARY OF ADMINISTRATION 
EMMERSON MNANGAGWA EXPOUNDED ON RECENT EVENTS IN THE 
DRC, AND TOUCHED ON LAND REFORM ISSUES, WAR VETERANS, 
AND PROSPECTS FOR THE MDC.  POLOFF ACCOMPANIED WEIGERT, 
AND MNANGAGWA WAS JOINED BY HIS DEPUTY SECRETARY OF 
ADMINISTRATION, WITNESS MANGWENDE, AND ADMINISTRATION 
DIRECTOR FRED SHAVA IN HIS ZANU-PF HEADQUARTERS OFFICE. 
 
2.  (C) MNANGAGWA, WHO OVERSEES ZANU-PF'S SUBSTANTIAL 
BUSINESS INTERESTS IN THE DRC, SAID ZIMBABWE'S 
WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS FROM THAT COUNTRY WAS CONTINUING. 
HE WAS SATISFIED WITH MONUC'S DEPLOYMENT OF OBSERVERS 
AND PREDICTED THAT THERE WOULD BE A COMPLETE RETURN TO 
PEACE BY NEXT YEAR.  THE SPEAKER NOTED AMUSEDLY THAT IN 
RWANDAN PRESIDENT KAGAME'S MAY 7 VISIT TO HARARE 
(REFTEL), THE LATTER APPEARED TO BE TRYING TO BUILD A 
BRIDGE TO ZIMBABWE, SUGGESTING A RWANDAN INTEREST IN 
JOINING SADC.  MNANGAGWA CLAIMED KAGAME WAS MAKING 
CONTINGENCY PLANS IN THE EVENT THAT UGANDA/RWANDA 
RELATIONS DETERIORATED FURTHER AND UGANDA INVADED 
RWANDA.  SADC MEMBERSHIP WOULD PRESUMABLY PERMIT KIGALI 
TO CALL FOR REGIONAL MILITARY SUPPORT.  ON THE ISSUE OF 
POSSIBLE ZIMBABWE/ANGOLA DIFFERENCES IN THE DRC, 
MNANGAGWA STATED THAT ANGOLA'S INTERESTS IN THE DRC WERE 
SPECIAL AND COMPLICATED AND CLAIMED THAT UNITA BASES IN 
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THE DRC WERE A REMAINING CONCERN, EVEN THOUGH THE UNITA 
ISSUE WAS NOT A PART OF THE LUSAKA AGREEMENT.  MNANGAGWA 
ALSO MADE A PASSING REFERENCE TO THE LIKELIHOOD OF PEACE 
TALKS AND EVENTUAL ELECTIONS IN ANGOLA, ALTHOUGH HE 
SUGGESTED THIS WAS NOT A NEAR-TERM DEVELOPMENT. 
 
3.  (C) ON THE LAND REFORM ISSUE, MNANGAGWA DELVED INTO 
THE TIRED HISTRIONICS OF LAND OWNERSHIP IN ZIMBABWE, 
ESPOUSING THE GOVERNMENT POSITION VERBATIM.  ON THE 
QUESTION OF WAR VETERANS, THE SPEAKER EXPLAINED WITH 
SOME TESTINESS THAT MANY EMPLOYEES HAD ASKED THEM TO 
RESOLVE LONG-OUTSTANDING DISPUTES THAT THE ZCTU HAD 
NEGLECTED, BUT A FEW ROGUE ELEMENTS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF 
THE SITUATION BY INTIMIDATING AND KIDNAPPING PEOPLE, AND 
THEY HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO BOOK.  WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE 
MDC'S PROSPECTS, MNANGAGWA ACKNOWLEDGED, WITHOUT RANCOR, 
THAT THE MDC WOULD CONTINUE TO DO WELL IN URBAN 
ELECTIONS, AND INTIMATED THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO BE A 
FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. 
 
4.  (C) COMMENT: MNANGAGWA WAS CORDIAL AND, FOR THE MOST 
PART, REASONED IN HIS RESPONSES.  HE APPEARS TO BE ON A 
CHARM OFFENSIVE WITH THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS IN AN ATTEMPT 
TO SOFTEN HIS GOVERNMENT'S, AND HIS OWN, IMAGE.  HE 
CONVENED THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS LAST WEEK TO CALL 
ATTENTION TO PARLIAMENTARY REFORMS.  IN A MEETING 
BETWEEN SHAVA AND POLOFF ON MAY 18, SHAVA OFFERED TO 
ARRANGE THE MEETING WITH MNANGAGWA, AND THE SPEAKER 
AGREED.  THIS CORE ZANU-PF CADRE APPEARED GENUINELY 
PLEASED WITH THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO AMERICANS, AND 
REFRAINED FROM THE INVECTIVE THAT HAS CHARACTERIZED OUR 
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RECENT MEETINGS WITH GOZ OFFICIALS.  END COMMENT. 
 
IRVING 
 
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