US embassy cable - 02HARARE1041

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001041 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2012 
TAGS: PREL, ZI, CG 
SUBJECT: UNSC APRIL 29 VISIT: MUGABE LINKS ZIMBABWE 
WITHDRAWAL TO UN PEACEKEEPERS AND OBJECTS TO US MESSAGE ON 
ZIMBABWE 
 
REF: STATE 79332 
 
Classified By: JOSEPH G. SULLIVAN FOR REASONS 1.5B/D 
 
1. (C) Summary: The UNSC delegation met with President Mugabe 
April 29 for about 70 minutes. Mugabe linked withdrawal of 
all Zimbabwean forces to insertion of a large number of UN 
peace enforcers with a robust mandate.  He dismissed Mbeki's 
DRC proposal as stripping President Kabila's authority. 
Mugabe said he hoped that the Congolese could come up with a 
solution, but if they did not,then Lusaka signatories should 
reconvene to discuss the matter. Following discussion of DRC 
issues, Ambassador Williamson spoke in his national capacity 
and delivered reftel talking points verbatim.  Mugabe reacted 
strongly for some ten minutes, stating that Westerners had no 
business lecturing Africans, that Africans and blacks had 
accepted the election outcome and that he had accepted the US 
election result, although he believed Gore had won.  Mugabe 
said that the US intervention had "ruined" the meeting.  The 
Chinese Permrep then intervened to disassociate himself from 
the American statement and to note that his Government 
accepted the election's legitimacy. End Summary 
 
2. (c) The UNSC delegation headed by French Permrep Levitte 
and including US Ambassador Williamson and Mr.Imbrie met for 
about 70 minutes with President Mugabe on the evening of 
April 29.  Mugabe supported President Kabila and claimed that 
President Mbeki's proposal for shared power would have made 
Kabila a eunuch.  While he claimed to quote President Kagame 
as saying that the RCD-Goma existed as his "tool", Mugabe was 
not especially critical of Rwanda. To UK worries that the 
Kabila-Bemba agreement could lead to partition of the Congo, 
Mugabe did not share those concerns and felt certain that 
Kabila could deal with "negative forces."  Mugabe hoped that 
the Congolese parties could find a solution, but if they 
could not, then the Lusaka signatories would meet again to 
discuss the matter.  Mugabe also mentioned the possibility of 
joint border patrols made up of Rwandan and Congolese forces 
to address Rwandan security concerns. 
 
3. (c) Mugabe claimed that Zimbabwe had already withdrawn a 
large percentage of its forces and would be prepared to 
withdraw all its forces.  But he said it would be necessary 
to insert UN peacekeepers -- "peace enforcers" -- with a 
robust mandate and in substantial numbers compared to the 
3,000 or so that could secure peace in a small country like 
Zimbabwe. 
 
4. (c) At the conclusion of the discussion on the DRC, 
Ambassador Williamson said that he wished to make several 
separate points on behalf of his government and delivered the 
talking points provided reftel.  Mugabe responded for ten 
minutes in a tone of controlled fury, making many of his 
usual points: that he believed Gore had won the US elections, 
but he accepted Bush as President; that blacks were treated 
worse in the US; that Zimbabwean farmers had supported the 
opposition, while the GOZ was on the side of the people; that 
the West refused to accept re-distribution of land; that the 
West had no business lecturing Africa; that Africa and blacks 
had accepted the Zimbabwean election results; and that even 
if the US makes Zimbabwe poor, the people are ready to 
withstand the pressure.  Mugabe said that the American 
intervention had ruined the atmosphere of the discussion on 
the DRC.  The Chinese permrep then spoke to disassociate his 
government from the American position, stating that China 
accepted the election's legitimacy. 
 
5. (u) Press coverage of visit focused mostly on Mugabe's 
call for UN peacekeeping presence in DRC. 
 
6. (u) This message was not cleared by Ambassador Williamson 
prior to the dele