US embassy cable - 01HARARE2334

UNCLAS HARARE 002334 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR, 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ZI, PREL, PHUM 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL; HARARE 
 
1.   EDITORIALS IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA FOCUS ON THE 
    ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY BILL 2001. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  02334  061224Z 
    EXCERPTS FOLLOW: 
 
2.   UNDER HEADLINE "THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL: WHAT IT 
    COULD MEAN," THE AUGUST 6 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY 
    'THE DAILY NEWS' COMMENTS: 
 
    "IT WOULD BE UNDERSTANDABLE FOR MANY ZANU PF 
    POLITICIANS AND THE GOVERNMENT TO DISMISS THE UNITED 
    STATES' SENATE APPROVAL OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND 
    (ECONOMIC) RECOVERY BILL LAST WEEK.  THIS IS EVEN MORE 
    SO IF ANY OF THEM BELIEVE THE OFFHAND DISMISSAL OF THE 
    BILL BY THE ZIMBABWEAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U. S., SIMBI 
    MUBAKO. . .WHATEVER THE ATTITUDE OF THE POLITICIANS AND 
    DIPLOMATS OF MUBAKO'S COMPLACENCY, THE FACT REMAINS 
    THAT IF THE BILL IS PASSED BY THE HOUSE OF 
    REPRESENTATIVES NEXT MONTH AND IS SUBSEQUENTLY SIGNED 
    INTO LAW BY REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, 
    ZIMBABWE WILL BE WALKING AN EVEN TIGHTER ECONOMIC ROPE 
    THAN BEFORE. . .ZIMBABWE WILL BE TREATED BY THE U. S. 
    GOVERNMENT LIKE THE ECONOMIC LEPER THAT THE ILLEGAL 
    REGIME OF IAN SMITH WAS DURING THE 15 YEARS OF 
    UDI. . .THE SANCTIONS WON'T BE AS DRACONIAN AS THOSE 
    IMPOSED ON THE SMITH REGIME, BUT THEIR OVERALL EFFECT 
    WILL BE THE FURTHER ECONOMIC ISOLATION OF 
    ZIMBABWE. . . ." 
 
3.   UNDER HEADLINE "RESILIENT ZIMBABWE WILL BREAK U. S. 
    STRANGLEHOLD," THE AUGUST 5 EDITION OF THE 
    GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED WEEKLY 'THE SUNDAY MAIL' 
    COMMENTS: 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  02334  061224Z 
    "SO, AS EXPECTED THE U. S. SENATE HAS JUST PASSED THE 
    CONTROVERSIAL ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY 
    BILL WHICH SEEKS TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON 
    ZIMBABWE. . .WHATEVER MIGHT BE SAID WE KNOW THE REASON 
    FOR THIS BILL IS A DESPERATE BUT FUTILE ATTEMPT TO 
    THWART THE THIRD CHIMURENGA, WHICH WANTS TO DEAL WITH 
    THE LAND DISTRIBUTION ANOMALIES ONCE AND FOR ALL.  THE 
    CHRISTENING OF THE BILL 'DEMOCRACY' IS RATHER 
    ABSURD. . .ONE THEN ASKS WHY THERE IS THIS RELENTLESS 
    PRESSURE BY THE RIGHT-WING ELEMENT IN THE U. S. TO 
    DESTABILIZE THE DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED ZIMBABWE 
    GOVERNMENT WHILE NOTHING IS SAID ABOUT THE MILITARY 
    GOVERNMENT OF BURUNDI AND RWANDA.  INDEED WHEN IT COMES 
    TO THE PROMOTION OF DEMOCRACY INTERNATIONALLY THE U. S. 
    IS AS GUILTY AS SIN. . .ZIMBABWEANS HAVE BEEN TRIED AND 
    TESTED BEFORE AS THE FIRST AND SECOND CHIMURENGA CAN 
    TESTIFY.  SANCTIONS WILL, IN FACT, INVOKE THAT SPIRIT 
    OF NATIONALISM AND UNITE THE COUNTRY IN THEIR BID TO 
    PRESERVE THEIR HARD-WON INDEPENDENCE.  WE ARE IN THE 
    MIDDLE OF THE THIRD CHIMURENGA AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH 
    JESSE HELMS AND THE U. S. SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS 
    COMMITTEE MIGHT TRY TO DERAIL THIS COURSE, THEY ARE 
    DOOMED TO FAIL.  FOR THEM AND THEIR BLACK PROXIES IN 
    ZIMBABWE TO POSTULATE THE USHERING IN OF A PUPPET 
    REGIME THROUGH SANCTIONS IS A MONUMENTAL 
    MISCALCULATION. . .