US embassy cable - 02HARARE269

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000269 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/12 
TAGS: PREL, ZI 
SUBJECT: MUGABE PROMISES FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, NAMES OBSERVER 
GROUPS TO BE INVITED 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON.  REASONS: 
1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
1.  (U) APPEARING BEFORE JOURNALISTS ON JANUARY 28, PRESIDENT 
MUGABE PROMISED THAT HIS GOVERNMENT WOULD DO ALL IT COULD TO ENSURE 
A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, AND ANNOUNCED THAT INVITATIONS WOULD BE 
EXTENDED TO OBSERVER DELEGATIONS FROM THE FOLLOWING:  THE OAU; 
SADC; COMESA; ECOWAS; THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT; THE COMMONWEALTH 
(EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM); A JOINT AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN, PACIFIC 
(ACP)-EU DELEGATION LED BY THE ACP (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM); 
THE NAACP; AND OTHER INDIVIDUALS AND COUNTRIES TO BE INVITED "IN 
DUE COURSE," INCLUDING NIGERIA.  HE SAID NIGERIA AND SADC COULD 
SEND OBSERVERS "IMMEDIATELY" BUT DID NOT SPECIFY WHEN INVITATIONS 
MIGHT BE FORTHCOMING FOR THE OTHER DESIGNATED GROUPS.   MUGABE ALSO 
APPEALED TO POLITICAL PARTIES, CHURCHES, WAR VETERANS, TRADE 
UNIONS, AND OTHER KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO END INCIDENTS OF POLITICAL 
VIOLENCE IN THE RUN-UP TO THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SCHEDULED FOR 
MARCH 9-10.   HE ANNOUNCED THAT ZIMBABWEAN EMBASSIES ABROAD WOULD 
ACCREDIT FOREIGN JOURNALISTS TO COVER THE ELECTION, BUT PROVIDED NO 
DETAILS ON WHEN THAT PROCESS WOULD BEGIN OR HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE. 
 
2.  (C) COMMENT: MOST OF THE GROUPS MUGABE NAMED HAVE LITTLE OR NO 
CAPACITY FOR OR EXPERIENCE IN ELECTION OBSERVATION, A FACT OF WHICH 
THE ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT IS LIKELY WELL AWARE.  SEVERAL EU 
DIPLOMATS TOLD US MUGABE PROBABLY EXPECTS THE EU TO REJECT THE 
CONDITIONS PLACED ON ITS PARTICIPATION.  ACCORDING TO ALEX KREMER, 
A HARARE-BASED EU DIPLOMAT, THE ACP HAS A TINY SECRETARIAT IN 
BRUSSELS AND NO EXPERIENCE IN OBSERVING ELECTIONS, AND VALUABLE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  00269  01 OF 02  291601Z 
TIME WOULD NOW BE CONSUMED BY ACP-EU CONSULTATIONS ON HOW TO 
PROCEED.  MUGABE DID NOT SPECIFY WHICH SADC INSTITUTIONS WOULD BE 
INVITED, BUT THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM'S SECRETARY-GENERAL TOLD 
US THAT BOTH THE FORUM AND THE COUNCIL OF FOREIGN MINISTERS WOULD 
BE INCLUDED. INTERLOCUTORS FROM THE CANADIAN AND AUSTRALIAN HIGH 
COMMISSIONS TOLD US THAT IT WOULD TAKE AT LEAST A WEEK FROM THE 
DATE OF RECEIPT OF A GOZ INVITATION FOR THE COMMONWEALTH TO DEPLOY 
AN OBSERVER TEAM, AND POINTED OUT THAT MUGABE HAD NOT BEEN EXPLICIT 
ABOUT WHEN SUCH AN INVITATION MIGHT BE ISSUED.  MUGABE DID NOT 
MENTION IFES OR THE CARTER CENTER, AND WE ARE NOT AWARE THAT THE 
NAACP HAS ANY CAPACITY FOR OR INTEREST IN OBSERVING THE ZIMBABWEAN 
ELECTION.  THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THE LIST ANNOUNCED BY MUGABE WAS 
CONCOCTED IN ORDER TO BUY TIME AND TO ENSURE AS LITTLE SCRUTINY AS 
POSSIBLE, WHILE TRYING TO MAKE THE GOZ APPEAR FORTHCOMING. 
MUGABE'S CALL FOR A REDUCTION IN POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND VOW TO DO 
EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO ENSURE A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION ARE 
CERTAINLY POSITIVE MESSAGES, BUT ONLY DEVELOPMENTS ON THE GROUND 
WILL SHOW WHETHER HE IS SINCERE.  WE ARE NOT OPTIMISTIC. 
 
3.  (U)  BEGIN TEXT OF PRESIDENT MUGABE'S JANUARY 28 REMARKS: 
 
SINCE MY ANNOUNCEMENT ON 9 JANUARY THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 
WOULD BE HELD ON THE 9TH AND 10TH OF MARCH 2002, MY GOVERNMENT HAS 
TAKEN CERTAIN STEPS, AND SET ON COURSE VARIOUS PROCESSES TO 
FACILITATE THE HOLDING OF A SMOOTH POLITICAL PROCESS.  I WISH TO 
EXPRESS MY SATISFACTION WITH THE GOVERNMENT'S PREPARATIONS SO FAR 
FOR THE ELECTION. 
 
THE FORTHCOMING ELECTION WILL, ONCE AGAIN, UNDERLINE ZIMBABWE'S 
ESTABLISHED DEMOCRATIC TRADITION SINCE ITS INDEPENDENCE IN 1980, OF 
HOLDING REGULAR PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AS 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  00269  01 OF 02  291601Z 
PROVIDED FOR IN OUR CONSTITUTION.  IN THIS REGARD, AND AS HEAD OF 
STATE OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE, I WISH TO ASSURE THE NATION 
THAT, AS WE DID DURING ALL OTHER ELECTIONS PREVIOUSLY CONDUCTED IN 
THE COUNTRY, MY GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO ENSURE 
THE HOLDING OF A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION. 
 
IN LINE WITH ZIMBABWE'S TRADITION OF HOLDING OPEN DEMOCRATIC 
ELECTIONS, MY GOVERNMENT WILL BE INVITING, AMONG OTHERS, THE 
FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENTS TO SEND OBSERVERS TO 
WITNESS THE ELECTORAL PROCESS AND SEE THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE 
PROUDLY EXERCISE THEIR SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO FREELY ELECT A PRESIDENT 
OF THEIR CHOICE. 
 
1.  THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN UNITY/AFRICAN UNION (OAU-AU); 
2.  THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC); 
3.  THE COMMON MARKET FOR EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (COMESA); 
4.  THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES (ECOWAS); 
5.  THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT (NAM); 
6.  THE COMMONWEALTH (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM); 
7.  JOINT ACP-EU DELEGATION (EXCLUDING THE UNITED KINGDOM), LED BY 
THE ACP; 
8.  THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLOURED PEOPLE 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTO9199 
 
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ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  WHA-00   SRPP-00  EAP-00   VC-00 
      H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    L-00     AC-01    NSAE-00 
      OMB-01   PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00 
      SSO-00   SS-00    TRSE-00  T-00     USIE-00  PMB-00   DRL-02 
      G-00     SAS-00     /005W 
                  ------------------5EE02B  291602Z /03 
O 291529Z JAN 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0830 
INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY ABUJA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 
NSC WASHDC PRIORITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000269 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/12 
TAGS: PREL, ZI 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  00269  02 OF 02  291602Z 
SUBJECT: MUGABE PROMISES FREE AND FAIR ELECTION, NAMES OBSERVER 
GROUPS TO BE INVITED 
 
(NAACP) FROM THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; 
9.  INDIVIDUALS AND COUNTRIES TO BE INVITED IN THEIR OWN CAPACITIES 
INCLUDE THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA. 
 
THE SADC AND NIGERIA WILL BE INVITED TO SEND THEIR OBSERVERS 
IMMEDIATELY. 
 
MY GOVERNMENT WILL, AS IS ITS PRACTICE, BE ACCREDITING FOREIGN 
JOURNALISTS THROUGH OUR EMBASSIES, TO COVER THE FORTHCOMING 
ELECTIONS, ON THE BASIS OF THE COUNTRY'S LAWS AND REGULATIONS. 
 
I WISH TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO APPEAL TO THE VARIOUS 
STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING ALL THE POLITICAL PARTIES, 
CHIEFS, CHURCHES, WAR VETERANS, FARMERS' UNIONS, TRADE UNIONS, 
BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS, MEDIA HOUSES, WOMEN AND YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS, 
AS WELL AS OTHER CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS, TO COME TOGETHER TO EXCHANGE 
VIEWS WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF ENDING INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE OCCURRING 
IN SOME AREAS SO AS TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE CONDUCIVE TO THE 
HOLDING OF A FREE, FAIR AND PEACEFUL ELECTION.  IN THIS REGARD I 
SHALL BE INVITING THE ABOVE MENTIONED GROUPS TO CHART A PEACEFUL 
WAY FORWARD. 
 
RECALLING THE SUPREME SACRIFICE PAID BY THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE IN 
THEIR STRUGGLE FOR SELF-DETERMINATION AND THE PRIDE THEY TAKE IN 
EXERCISING THEIR SOVEREIGN RIGHT TO ELECT A PRESIDENT OF THEIR OWN 
CHOICE, MY GOVERNMENT WILL DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY TO ENSURE THAT 
THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE CAN EXERCISE THEIR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT WITHOUT 
INTERFERENCE FROM ANY QUARTER WHATSOEVER WHETHER INTERNAL OR 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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EXTERNAL. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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