US embassy cable - 02HARARE1965

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Identifier:	02HARARE1965
Wikileaks:	View 02HARARE1965 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Harare
Created:	2002-08-27 08:48:00
Classification:	UNCLASSIFIED
Tags:	PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

UNCLAS HARARE 001965 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WSSD; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "Needed: sustainable political 
      development" the independent daily "The Daily News" 
      dedicated its August 27 editorial to encouraging 
      African leaders attending the Earth Summit in South 
      Africa to "relate the fight against poverty and 
      HIV/AIDS to the development of sustainable political 
      systems."  Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "The World Summit on Sustainable Development 
      (WSSD), opened by President Thabo Mbeki this week will 
      enable many African leaders to exchange ideas on how 
      to fight poverty and HIV/AIDS on the continent.  For 
      Africa it seems that far more important at this stage 
      is the development of sustainable political systems. 
      Many analysts have suggested that as long as African 
      politics are mired in conflict, there will be little 
      time to concentrate on the fight against poverty. 
      They suggested that the `political kingdom' to which 
      Kwame Nkurumah referred, may still be an unattainable 
      dream for many Africans.  Has Africa had much time to 
      tackle poverty since Ghana became independent in 1957? 
      There have been coups, civil wars, corruption on a 
      grand scale, there has been electoral fraud on a huge 
      scale.  Yet poverty has escalated.  Clearly, what 
      needs urgent attention in Africa today are its 
      political systems.  Democracy has a chance, but is 
      frowned upon by many leaders because it deprives them 
      of the chance to be tribal chiefs they really want. 
      At the Earth Summit in Johannesburg, let's hope they 
      can relate the fight against poverty and HIV/AIDS to 
      the development of sustainable political systems as 
      well." 
 
SULLIVAN