US embassy cable - 04HARARE912

UNCLAS HARARE 000912 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/S 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
USDOC FOR AMANDA HILLIGAS 
TREASURY FOR OREN WYCHE-SHAW 
PASS USTR FLORIZELLE LISER 
STATE PASS USAID FOR MARJORIE COPSON, ERIC LOKEN 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, EAID, EAGR, EINV, PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: Black farmer group reacts to white overtures 
 
Ref: Harare 849 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: With pressures from Zimbabwe's next 
parliamentary elections mounting, the mostly black 
Indigenous Commercial Farmers Union (ICFU) told us it 
would have to reach a break-though in talks with the 
mostly white Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) in the next 
month or so, or wait until after elections.  End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) Econoff recently spoke to ICFU President Davison 
Mugabe at length about talks he has had with CFU 
President Doug Taylor-Freeme (ref).  Mugabe said he wants 
talks to move forward and shares the vision of a 
multiracial Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union.  Mugabe 
told us he has put out "feelers" within the GOZ to gauge 
official support.  However, he said the rival farmer 
bodies would have to make progress in talks within the 
next month or so.  Beyond that, he is afraid election- 
induced political pressures would weigh too heavily on 
the ICFU for it to be able to move into this direction. 
 
3. (SBU) Mugabe acknowledged his ICFU would benefit 
enormously from CFU know-how and resources.  Yet he 
harbors palpable bitterness toward the white farmer 
group.  He referred to white farmers repeatedly as 
"arrogant," unwilling to become Zimbabweans.  He said CFU 
leaders would have to distance themselves more visibly 
from the more confrontational Justice for Agriculture 
(JAG) as well as acts of white farmer violence. (White 
farmer Peter Spero-Landos alleged shot dead settler Mike 
Mufambi last month.) 
 
Comment 
------- 
4. (SBU) While chances for immediate success are not 
great, the Embassy will continue to encourage dialogue 
among the groups.  Ultimately, we believe the GOZ would 
have to lend support to a CFU-ICFU merger.  Before 
signing on, the ICFU would need the GOZ's official 
blessing; the CFU would want assurance the remaining 600 
white farms would remain untouched.  This would not sit 
well with some GOZ hardliners, nor would it match State 
media propaganda that any problems with the land 
redistribution program are due to the sabotage and 
resistance of white farmers. 
 
Sullivan