US embassy cable - 02HARARE1371

UNCLAS HARARE 001371 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S, AF/PD, AF/RA 
 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, ZI 
SUBJECT: DAILY NEWS EDITORIAL ON US FOOD ASSISTANCE TO 
ZIMBABWE 
 
 
1.   Under headline "Looking a gift horse in the mouth" 
   the independent daily "The Daily News" dedicated its 
   June 5 editorial to calling on the government of 
   Zimbabwe to "avoid politicizing food aid."  Excerpts: 
 
2.   "For the estimated six million of the 13 million 
   Zimbabweans on the verge of starvation, the issue 
   of whether the food before them is genetically 
   modified or not is luxury they cannot afford. 
   Their preoccupation is with surviving the current 
   food crisis.  The USA last week gave Zimbabwe 
   18,500 tons of maize, in order to ease the current 
   food shortage.  However, 10,000 tons of the 
   consignment was rejected because it did not have a 
   certificate declaring it was not produced through 
   genetic engineering. . .  If the origin of the 
   grain was unclear, a simple request to the 
   Americans indicating concern about the possibility 
   of the consignment being genetically modified, 
   would certainly have been responded to and the 
   fears by Zimbabwe either confirmed or allayed.  It 
   is possible the government is allowing the standoff 
   between Washington and Harare over the Zimbabwe 
   Democracy and Economic Recovery Act, which slaps 
   'smart' sanctions on President Mugabe, his two Vice 
   Presidents, senior government ministers, officials 
   and the ZANU PF leadership, to get in the way of 
   international efforts to respond to the country's 
   humanitarian crisis.  This is a desperate situation 
   and it is doubtful whether the people affected 
   would elect to starve instead of consuming alleged 
   genetically modified food.  Which is the lesser of 
   the two evils  - to die of hunger or as a 
   consequence of the suspected effects of genetically 
   modified food?  There is need to be less hysterical 
   and avoid politicizing food 
   aid. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN