US embassy cable - 02HARARE704

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000704 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/12 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PREL, ZI 
SUBJECT: MUGABE INAUGURAL REMARKS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON.  REASONS: 
1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
INAUGURATION CEREMONY 
--------------------- 
 
1.  (U) PRESIDENT MUGABE WAS SWORN IN FOR A FIFTH TERM ON MARCH 17, 
ONLY TWO DAYS AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE APPARENTLY HASTILY- 
ARRANGED INAUGURATION CEREMONY.  FIVE AFRICAN HEADS OF STATE WERE 
IN ATTENDANCE -- TANZANIA'S BENJAMIN MKAPA; MOZAMBIQUE'S JOAQUIM 
CHISSANO; MALAWI'S BAKILI MULUZI; NAMIBIA'S SAM NUJOMA; AND DRC'S 
JOSEPH KABILA.  SOUTH AFRICA WAS REPRESENTED BY VICE-PRESIDENT 
JACOB ZUMA, BOTSWANA BY VICE-PRESIDENT IAN KHAMA, AND ZAMBIA BY 
VICE-PRESIDENT ENOCK KAVINDILE.  ANGOLA, LIBYA, AND RWANDA SENT 
HIGH-LEVEL REPRESENTATIVES FROM CAPITALS.  AFTER MUGABE WAS SWORN 
IN, PRESIDENT MKAPA HUGGED THE ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT AND 
ENTHUSIASTICALLY WAVED THE ZANU-PF SALUTE -- A CLOSED FIST -- IN 
THE AIR.  NEITHER AMBASSADOR SULLIVAN NOR HIS COUNTERPARTS FROM EU 
MISSIONS, CANADA, OR AUSTRALIA ATTENDED THE CEREMONY. 
 
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS 
------------------- 
 
2.  (U) PRESIDENT MUGABE'S SPEECH CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING KEY 
THEMES: 
 
--ZIMBABWE'S ELECTORAL PROCESS HAD BEEN QUINTESSENTIALLY DEMOCRATIC 
("THE GREATEST WINNER, YOU WILL AGREE, WAS OUR DEMOCRATIC 
PROCESS"); 
 
--A VAGUE OVERTURE TO THE OPPOSITION ("OUR ENERGIES AND 
CAPABILITIES ARE SURELY BETTER SPENT ON CONSTRUCTIVE PEOPLE- 
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PAGE 03        HARARE  00704  01 OF 02  181458Z 
ORIENTED TASKS AND PROGRAMMES THAN ON PLANNING AND PLOTTING THE 
DOWNFALL OF EACH OTHER.  THE SERIOUS ESPOUSAL OF THE IDEAL OF 
NATIONAL UNITY AND THE SPIRIT OF BROTHERHOOD WILL INJECT CORRECT 
DOSES OF LOVE AND FERVOUR INTO OUR RELATIONSHIPS HITHERTO SOURED BY 
HOSTILITY AND ANGUISH...OUR COUNTRY BECKONS US TO JOIN HANDS IN A 
FORMIDABLE UNITY OF PURPOSE AS WE VIGOROUSLY ENGAGE IN OUR VARIOUS 
NATIONAL ENDEAVOURS); 
 
--THE LAND REFORM PROGRAM WILL BE INTENSIFIED AND FUNDING FOR IT 
WILL BE INCREASED ("THE LAND REFORM PROGRAMME MUST PROCEED WITH 
GREATER SPEED AND STRENGTH"); 
 
--THE GOZ HAS DEVISED A "COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC RECOVERY STRATEGY, 
WHOSE COMPONENTS INTEGRALLY ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF ECONOMIC 
EMPOWERMENT AND INDIGENIZATION; RESTORATION OF CONFIDENCE IN THE 
MANAGEMENT OF THE ECONOMY AND FORMULATION OF APPROPRIATE, 
CONSENSUS-BASED RESPONSES TO THE PROBLEMS OF REDUCED FOREIGN 
CURRENCY INFLOWS, INFLATION, HIGH PRICES, DEBT MANAGEMENT AND LOW 
INVESTMENT ACTIVITY..."; 
 
--GOVERNMENT WILL FOCUS ON RESURRECTING THE TOURIST INDUSTRY, 
"WHICH WE MUST CONTINUE TO ENHANCE BOTH QUANTITATIVELY AND 
QUALITATIVELY"; 
 
--ZIMBABWE MUST CONTINUE TO GUARD AGAINST PREDATOR NATIONS TRYING 
TO RECOLONIZE IT ("WE HAVE DEALT A STUNNING BLOW TO IMPERIALISM"; 
"...YOU CERTAINLY HAVE NOW BEEN ABLE TO SEE HOW BRITAIN AND ITS 
WHITE ALLIES HAVE BLATANTLY SOUGHT TO ENSURE THAT THIS LAST 
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION BE WON BY THEIR PROTEGE AND NOT BY ME AND 
ZANU-PF.  BUT THANKS TO THE PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE FOR LOUDLY SAYING 
NO. NO. NEVER. NEVER AGAIN SHALL ZIMBABWE BE A COLONY.  I THANK 
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PAGE 04        HARARE  00704  01 OF 02  181458Z 
THEM FOR THEIR ANTI-IMPERIALIST STAND"; "WE MUST NOW DELIVER A 
FATAL BLOW TO THE HEAD, NOT ONLY THE BODY, OF THE COLONIAL 
MONSTER"; 
 
--A WARM THANK YOU TO FRIENDLY HEADS OF STATE FOR THEIR SOLIDARITY 
("I WANT TO THANK OUR BROTHERLY AFRICAN AND NON-AFRICAN COUNTRIES 
FOR THEIR FULL SOLIDARITY AND ENDURING SUPPORT" AND FOR HELPING 
ZIMBABWE "CELEBRATE OUR VICTORY OVER COLONIALISM.  MAY I MENTION, 
HOWEVER, THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO NEED YOUR SUPPORT IN THE FUTURE 
AS IMPERIALIST MANOEUVRES AGAINST ZIMBABWE PERSIST.") 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
3.  (C) MUGABE'S REMARKS CONFIRMED OUR SUSPICION THAT HE INTENDS 
TO PRESS FORWARD WITH THE SAME DISCREDITED BUT DESTRUCTIVE 
POLICIES.  HIS OVERTURE TO THE OPPOSITION WAS UNCONVINCING, AND HIS 
TIRED ANTI-IMPERIALIST RHETORIC -- WHICH WAS MOSTLY ADDED 
EXTEMPORANEOUSLY TO HIS PREPARED REMARKS -- WILL CERTAINLY FURTHER 
ANTAGONIZE THE DONOR COMMUNITY, WHOSE HELP HE WILL NEED IN MASSIVE 
AMOUNTS IF HE HAS ANY HOPE OF REBUILDING HIS SHATTERED COUNTRY.  HE 
OFFERED NO SOLUTIONS WHICH HE CAN IMPLEMENT FOR ZIMBABWE'S ECONOMIC 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ2051 
 
PAGE 01        HARARE  00704  02 OF 02  181459Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00 
      INR-00   IO-00    L-00     AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02 
      OMB-01   PA-00    PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00 
      SS-00    TRSE-00  T-00     USIE-00  PMB-00   DRL-02   G-00 
      SAS-00     /007W 
                  ------------------76AA47  181459Z /48 
O 181422Z MAR 02 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1241 
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY ABUJA IMMEDIATE 
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA IMMEDIATE 
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000704 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/14/12 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ZI 
SUBJECT: MUGABE INAUGURAL REMARKS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME 
 
MISERY AND HIS VOW TO PROMOTE TOURISM WITHOUT MAKING MAJOR POLICY 
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PAGE 02        HARARE  00704  02 OF 02  181459Z 
CHANGES ACROSS THE BOARD BELONGS IN THE CATEGORY OF FANTASYLAND. 
WE KNOW THAT MUGABE RECEIVED NUMEROUS PERSONAL APPEALS IN RECENT 
DAYS FROM PRESIDENT OBASANJO TO MAKE HIS FIRST PUBLIC COMMENTS 
CONCILIATORY.  MUGABE WAS BUOYED BY HIS NEARLY HALF-A-MILLION-VOTE 
MARGIN OF "VICTORY" AND APPARENTLY IS NOT IN THE MOOD TO 
COMPROMISE, EXCEPT ON HIS TERMS; I.E. THE MDC SHOULD ACCEPT AND 
COOPERATE WITH HIS GOVERNMENT AND BE CONTENT WITH THE MAYORALITIES 
IT WON IN HARARE AND CHITUNGWIZA.  IT IS CLEAR THAT THE PROSPECTS 
FOR GENUINE RECONCILIATION AND ECONOMIC REVIVAL ARE BLEAK SO LONG 
AS MUGABE REMAINS AT THE HELM. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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