US embassy cable - 02HARARE1610

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001610 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF FOR A/S KANSTEINER 
AF/S FOR DELISI AND KRAFT 
AF/RA FOR JOHN WALSER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2007 
TAGS: PREL, PTER, PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: THE TAKE FROM ZIMBABWE ON WORKING WITH UNSC 1373 
AND REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS TO BOLSTER AFRICAN 
COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS 
 
REF: STATE 128067 
 
Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY DCM ROBERT E. WHITEHEAD 
FOR REASONS 1.5 B AND D. 
 
1.  (C) Embassy Harare strongly endorses the use of SADC to 
bolster counterterrorism efforts in this region generally, 
and specifically in the Zimbabwe context.  On the ground in 
Zimbabwe, we have enjoyed close, instantaneous and productive 
cooperation from the Zimbabwean security services, both 
police and intelligence, on counterterrorism (CT) matters. 
To date, this collaboration has produced tangible results. 
 
2.  (C) In other areas, both on the political and economic 
planes, we have fared less well.  Following September 11, the 
GOZ paid ample lip service to counterterrorism and, at our 
request, offered a senior MFA official as their point of 
contact with us.  In practical terms, this has yielded almost 
nothing.  Consumed by pre-electoral politics, obsessed by the 
notion of an anti-Zimbabwe conspiracy in the West, and now 
facing famine and a catastrophic economic decline, the 
preoccupied Zimbabweans have taken action in virtually none 
of the non-operational CT areas where we solicited 
cooperation.  There has been no movement on parliamentary 
ratification of several unsigned UN counterterrorism 
conventions or Central Bank pressure for stiffer anti-money 
laundering legislation that has real teeth.  Given our 
current estrangement from the GOZ, and a virtual (GOZ 
imposed) freeze on relations with the MFA, we harbor little 
hope that additional lobbying efforts on this end will yield 
the results we seek. 
 
3.  (C) In this context, SADC is probably the best vehicle 
available to engage the Zimbabweans constructively on 
counterterrorism issues of importance to us.  The GOZ has 
apparently not engaged the UN Counterterrorism Council to 
date, but we think that they would be more responsive to 
regional pressure to undertake regional initiatives or to 
coordinate to a greater degree with the UN.  In the event 
that USG contacts with SADC present opportunities for greater 
multilateral CT activities, we think that it would be in our 
own interest to make certain that Zimbabweans are encouraged 
and allowed to participate. 
SULLIVAN