US embassy cable - 01HARARE3236

UNCLAS HARARE 003236 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S, AF/P, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR 
JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ZI, PREL, PHUM, OCII 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT - COMMONWEALTH AND EU PRESSURES ON 
HARARE 
 
 
1.   EDITORIALS IN THE OCTOBER 25 EDITIONS OF THE 
   INDEPENDENT WEEKLY "THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE," AND THE TWO 
   GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILIES "THE HERALD" AND THE 
   "CHRONICLE," FOCUS ON ZIMBABWE'S RELATIONS WITH THE 
   EUROPEAN UNION AND THE COMMONWEALTH. EXCERPTS FOLLOW: 
 
2.   UNDER HEADLINE "NO MORE GAMES," THE "FINANCIAL 
   GAZETTE" PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING EDITORIAL COMMENT ON 
   PAGE ONE: 
 
"THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) WAS THIS WEEK FORCED TO ISSUE 
AN ULTIMATUM TO PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE'S GOVERNMENT TO 
ALLOW EU OBSERVERS TO CHECK ON THE VALIDITY OF 
ZIMBABWE'S IMPENDING PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT OR THE EU WILL 
TAKE DRASTIC ACTION.  AFTER MUCH DITHERING BY THE 15- 
NATION EU IN THE FAINT HOPE THAT MUGABE COULD SEE COMMON 
SENSE, THE WORLD'S LARGEST TRADING BLOC IS FINALLY 
MAKING THE POINT THAT THE TIME FOR POLITICAL THEATRICS 
AND SHEER MADNESS BY ZIMBABWE'S LEADERS IS OVER. . . 
 
AS THE EU, THE COMMONWEALTH FOREIGN MINISTERS WHO ARE 
GATHERING IN ZIMBABWE THIS WEEK MUST FORCEFULLY TELL 
MUGABE THAT THE TIME FOR HIS DANGEROUS GAMES WITH THE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AND ZIMBABWEANS IS UP. 
 
. . .THUS THE VISITING COMMONWEALTH TEAM AND THE ENTIRE 
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY BEAR THE GRAVEST MORAL AND LEGAL 
RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY ARE THESE ACTS OF 
MADNESS STOPPED WITHOUT DELAY BUT THAT ZIMBABWEANS DO 
HAVE MINIMUM CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH A FREE AND FAIR 
BALLOT CAN BE STAGED.  ANYTHING ELSE WILL NOT DO.  . ." 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  03236  291318Z 
3.   UNDER HEADLINE "EU'S DOUBLE STANDARDS ABOMINABLE," 
   THE "HERALD" COMMENTS: 
 
"THE DEMANDS AND ULTIMATUMS ISSUED THIS WEEK BY THE EU 
ON ZIMBABWE TO DECIDE WHETHER TO ALLOW EU OBSERVERS IN 
THE COUNTRY DURING NEXT YEARS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IS 
A FIRST AND DANGEROUS EXPERIMENT, WHICH THREATENS THE 
AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC-EU PARTNERSHIP.  THE 
GOVERNMENT DID THE RIGHT THING IN REJECTING THE 
ULTIMATUM, AND FORTHRIGHTLY TELLING THE EU THAT ZIMBABWE 
IS A SOVEREIGN STATE. 
 
...THE EU SHOULD KNOW THAT WE ARE NOT IN RHODESIA.  WE 
ARE IN ZIMBABWE - A FREE AND DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY THAT 
WILL NEVER BECOME A COLONY AGAIN.  IT IS ABSURD FOR THE 
EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS TO THINK THAT THEY CAN SAVE WHAT 
THEY PERCEIVE AS A DETERIORATING POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC 
SITUATION IN THIS COUNTRY BY SLAPPING SANCTIONS.  WE 
NEED TO REMIND THE EU OF A DANGER THAT DEMANDS AND 
ULTIMATUMS CAN EASILY TURN THE PARTNERSHIP INTO A THIRD 
WORLD VERSUS EUROPE AFFAIR.  IF THAT HAPPENS, THERE WILL 
BE NO PARTNERSHIP TO TALK ABOUT. . . ." 
 
4.   UNDER HEADLINE "HANDS OFF ZIMBABWE," THE 
   "CHRONICLE" 
   COMMENTS: 
 
". . . RECENT EVENTS WHERE THE CONCEPT OF SOVEREIGNTY 
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN ABANDONED FOR A GANGSTER APPROACH TO 
RELATIONS BETWEEN NATIONS ARE NOT ONLY DUMBFOUNDING BUT 
EXPOSE THE HYPOCRISY OF SOME PEOPLE WITHIN THE SO-CALLED 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  03236  291318Z 
GLOBAL VILLAGE.  WE REFER HERE TO THE BEHAVIOR OF THE EU 
MEMBERS WHO HAVE GIVEN ZIMBABWE AN ULTIMATUM ON THE 
ISSUE OF ELECTION MONITORS.  THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE EU 
HAS ALREADY CONCLUDED THAT THE ELECTIONS WILL BE RIGGED. 
IT LEAVES US MORE THAN CONVINCED THAT THE EU HAS ALREADY 
COME UP WITH ITS OWN 'PRESIDENT' FOR THE COUNTRY AND 
THAT IT WANTS TO SEND ITS AGENTS TO MANIPULATE THE 
ELECTIONS TO SUIT ITS AGENDA... 
 
THE SAD THING IS THAT THE PERCEPTION PRESIDENTIAL 
ELECTIONS WILL BE RIGGED IS A CREATION OF THE WESTERN 
MEDIA AND THEIR AGENTS IN HARARE.  WHY DID THE EU NOT 
'MONITOR' ELECTIONS IN FLORIDA, A STATE THAT THE WORLD 
KNOWS SWUNG THE VOTE FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH, YET IT 
WAS MR. BUSH'S KITH WHO WAS PRESIDING OVER THEM?  WHEN 
LOSING CANDIDATE AL GORE MADE NOISE, THE EU MAINTAINED A 
DEAFENING SILENCE. . . 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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