US embassy cable - 02HARARE2211

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 HARARE 002211 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ROME PASS TO AMBASSADOR TONY HALL, MAX FINBERG, 
  AND TIM LAVELLE AT FODAG 
STATE FOR AF/S 
 
USAID FOR DCHA, OFDA, FFP AND AFR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, ZI 
SUBJECT:  Press Conference Briefing Notes for 
Ambassador Tony Hall's visit to Zimbabwe, 
October 8 - October 11, 2002 
 
 
1. (U) The following offers briefing notes for 
Ambassador Hall's press conference in Harare, Zimbabwe, 
scheduled for Friday morning, 11 October 2002.  The 
press conference will be held at the conclusion of 
Ambassador Hall's visit to Zimbabwe. 
 
----------------------------- 
Goal of the Press Conference: 
----------------------------- 
 
2. (U) The ideal headline the day after the press 
conference would be along the following lines: "Food 
Crisis Worsens - Hall Urges Policy Changes and More 
International Support."  We hope you can convey the 
urgency you and the USG feel in addressing the crisis 
and the critical importance of urgent GOZ accompanying 
actions.  The field trips you will take will give you 
additional information to provide a real-life 
perspective on the humanitarian crisis.  Below is some 
background information for the press briefing and 
questions and answers on specific issues that may arise. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Scene Setter and Suggested Media Themes: 
---------------------------------------- 
 
3. (U) The Press Conference will be held in the 
auditorium of the Public Affairs Section's (PAS) 
offices.  PAS has separate offices from the Embassy and 
is located in the city center near the Meikles Hotel. 
We expect a minimum of 12 to 15 journalists.  Ambassador 
Hall and Ambassador Sullivan, will be seated at a draped 
table in front of the black backdrop with the US and 
Zimbabwean flags behind them.  The press will be seated 
in a semicircle facing the principals.  The effect 
sought is "conversational," that is, something less 
formal than a stand-at-the-podium-style press 
conference. 
 
4. (U) The Public Affairs Officer, Bruce Wharton, will 
introduce you (we will also distribute copies of your 
bio) and you will be expected to make an opening 
statement prior to taking questions.  In your opening 
statement, we suggest you speak about your field visits 
and highlight the following themes: 
 
1)   Zimbabwe's food crisis is becoming increasingly 
severe. 
 
2)   The Government of Zimbabwe should make policy 
decisions to permit the private sector and a larger 
number of NGOs to play a role in addressing the nation's 
food needs. 
 
3)   Among the policy issues we believe are exacerbating 
the food crisis are the Grain Marketing Board's monopoly 
on grain imports and sales, unrealistically low price 
controls on staple foods, ponderous bureaucratic 
procedures for clearing donated food through Zimbabwean 
customs, and limitations on the NGOs permitted to 
participate in food distribution programs. 
 
4)   The United States has been the principal donor to 
Zimbabwe's food crisis, with generous contributions also 
coming from the United Kingdom and the European Union. 
Additional assistance from other donors is needed to 
meet Zimbabwe's food needs. 
 
5)   While Southern Africa's drought is a factor in the 
food crisis, the Government of Zimbabwe needs to face 
the fact that it also bears responsibility for the 
situation.  Macroeconomic mismanagement (including 
deficit spending, a grossly overvalued currency, 
multiple exchange rates, and unrealistic price 
controls), a violent and chaotic land redistribution 
program that has badly damaged the nation's agricultural 
sector, and a disregard for the rule of law that has 
driven foreign investment away, have all played a 
substantial role in creating conditions under which more 
than half of all Zimbabweans need food aid. 
 
6)   The United States will not politicize its food 
assistance to Zimbabwe.  In spite of our serious 
concerns about the actions and policies of the 
Zimbabwean government, we will not abandon the people of 
Zimbabwe at this time of need. 
 
7)   We are working closely with the World Food Program 
and our bilateral NGO partners to make sure that the 
food we provide is distributed on a non-partisan basis. 
 
8)   The food crisis will also significantly aggravate 
the health conditions for people who are HIV positive 
and people living with AIDS.  Zimbabwe is at the 
epicenter of the epidemic with the second highest HIV 
prevalence in the world - 35%.  It is estimated that 
over 2,000 people a week are dying from complications 
due to AIDS in Zimbabwe. 
 
 
 
------------------------ 
Background on the Media: 
------------------------ 
 
5. (U) The Zimbabwean media are deeply polarized.  The 
privately owned media are generally critical of the 
Government of Zimbabwe and sympathetic to U.S. policy 
and programs in Zimbabwe.  The state-owned media are 
slavishly pro-Government and reflect the GOZ's distrust 
of the West.  Both media camps will distort stories to 
reflect their points of view, but distortions in the 
private media are generally less extreme.  Zimbabwean 
journalists from both camps are polite and not terribly 
aggressive.  International media will also be present 
and will be important for re-broadcast into Zimbabwe as 
well as for the international audience. Specifically, 
we expect representatives from the Associated Press, 
Reuters, Agence France Presse, Voice of America, the 
South African Broadcasting Company (SABC), the Times of 
London and the Guardian to be present. 
 
6. (U) The Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) has deliberately 
and successfully limited media freedom and the flow of 
information into and out of Zimbabwe.   The majority of 
Zimbabweans must rely on heavily propagandistic 
government media for news and analysis of local and 
international events.  The flow of news out of Zimbabwe 
has been restricted through the expulsion of once- 
resident foreign journalists and refusals to grant visas 
to international journalists wishing to visit. 
 
7. (U) Radio is the most influential medium in Zimbabwe. 
The GoZ has a monopoly on local broadcast media and they 
offer only unrelenting pro-government propaganda.  One 
independent broadcaster, Voice of the People, maintained 
offices in Zimbabwe and provided news and information 
via Dutch short wave facilities until its Harare office 
was completely destroyed by a sophisticated firebombing 
in late August 2002.  Another short wave broadcaster, 
Short Wave Radio Africa, provides news and information 
from studios in the United Kingdom.  Anecdotal 
information indicates that short wave broadcasters have 
only small audiences. 
 
8. (U) Urban Zimbabweans have access to a courageous 
independent press consisting of one daily and three 
weeklies (the Daily News, Financial Gazette, Zimbabwe 
Independent, and the Standard).   Prices, logistical 
challenges, and the fact that pro-government forces have 
banned the distribution of independent newspapers in 
rural areas means that most rural Zimbabweans (60% of 
the population) have no access to these publications. 
The independent press is under steady pressure from the 
GoZ and pro-government forces.  Arrests of editors and 
reporters are common and the Daily News has twice been 
bombed, most recently in January 2001 in a sophisticated 
attack that completely destroyed the paper's presses. 
No arrests have been made.  The Daily News recently 
replaced its presses.  A new media registration law, to 
come into force later this year, is likely to result in 
increased arrests and harassment of journalists working 
for the independent press. 
 
9. (U) The GoZ owns and exercises tight editorial 
control over two dailies and three weeklies (the Herald, 
Chronicle, Sunday Mail, Sunday News and Manica Post). 
Although the circulation of these papers has seen a 
steady decline, they are generally the only newspapers 
available in rural Zimbabwe.  There is a distinct double 
standard in the application of media control laws to the 
independent and government-owned media. 
 
10. (U) Over the last 18 months, non-Zimbabweans working 
for the BBC, Agence France Presse, the Mail and Guardian 
(South Africa) and other international media have been 
forced to leave the country.  BBC has explicitly been 
banned.  The new media registration law is likely to 
result in the closure of the Associated Press, Reuters 
and AFP bureaus in Zimbabwe, all currently staffed by 
Zimbabwean citizens.   The GoZ routinely denies visas to 
journalists who openly apply to visit the country for 
reporting purposes. 
-------------------- 
Questions & Answers: 
-------------------- 
 
1. Question: 
 
What do you see as the critical challenges the GOZ and 
donors face in dealing with the humanitarian crisis? 
 
Answer: 
 
One of the biggest challenges being faced right now is 
NGO capacity to efficiently and effectively distribute 
food aid.  The World Food Program (WFP) needs to 
increase the number of NGOs who can deliver food aid 
and, in this regard, the GOZ must expeditiously review 
and process NGO registration applications to improve 
WFP's ability to distribute food to vulnerable 
Zimbabweans.  The second challenge relates to the amount 
of available food.  The latest Vulnerability Assessment 
indicates that the number of people in need of food 
assistance in Zimbabwe has increased from 6 million to 
6.7 million; the amount of food aid requested has risen 
to 486,000 mt from the initial requested amount of 
453,000 mt.  The GOZ has also committed itself to import 
at least 650,000 mt.  It is critical that these food 
requirements be met.  Otherwise, we will experience a 
severe food gap and the situation will deteriorate 
rapidly. 
 
2. Question: 
 
What is the effect U.S. "sanctions" (under the Zimbabwe 
Democracy and Economic Recovery Act) against Zimbabwe on 
the U.S. program to respond to the humanitarian crisis? 
 
Answer: 
 
The United States Government is committed to providing 
food assistance to help the most needy affected by the 
food crisis in Zimbabwe.  We do so, however, with our 
eyes open to the fact the Government of Zimbabwe bears 
much of a responsibility for the growing humanitarian 
crisis in Zimbabwe and the region. 
 
Feel free to defer the remaining part of the answer to 
Ambassador Sullivan 
 
The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA) 
is not a sanctions bill.  It is a set of incentives 
designed, as the New York Times reported, to "lure 
Zimbabwe back to democracy."  The bill offers US$26 
million (Z$1.4 billion at the official exchange rate) to 
support land reform, basic human rights and economic 
development.  To gain this support, the Government of 
Zimbabwe was asked to restore the rule of law; create 
conditions conducive to free and fair presidential 
elections; and make a commitment to an equitable, legal 
and transparent land reform program inter alia. 
 
Since the Government of Zimbabwe chose not to accept 
ZDERA's recommendations, in February 2002 President Bush 
implemented targeted measures against a number of 
selected Zimbabwean officials.  These measures include 
travel and financial restrictions.  These measures do 
not include any actions to hurt the people of Zimbabwe. 
U.S. Government programs, including humanitarian food 
donations, the Ambassador's Self-Help Program, HIV/Aids 
prevention and treatment efforts, and educational and 
cultural programs, remain intact. 
 
 
3. Question: 
 
Will the U.S. sanctions against Zimbabwe result in the 
termination of the USAID development program? 
 
Answer: 
 
Feel free to defer this to Ambassador Sullivan. 
 
Again, I note that ZDERA does not impose any broad-based 
sanctions against the people of Zimbabwe.  Rather, it 
targets senior members of the government of Robert 
Mugabe and other Zimbabwean nationals who formulate, 
implement or benefit from policies that undermine or 
injure Zimbabwean democratic institutions.  ZDERA also 
affects persons who, through their business dealings 
with Zimbabwean government officials, derive significant 
financial benefits from policies that undermine or 
injure Zimbabwe's democratic institutions.  Spouses of 
affected persons also face travel restrictions. 
 
The U.S. Government remains committed to assisting the 
people of Zimbabwe in their hour of need and will not 
curtail humanitarian assistance as a result of ZDERA. 
 
4. Question: 
 
What is the USG's position regarding allegations of 
partisanship or political manipulation in the 
distribution of food? 
 
Answer: 
 
The United States condemns the political manipulation of 
food aid.  Although to the best of our knowledge there 
has been no interference with USG-donated food, many 
credible reports exist of politicization of GOZ-supplied 
food.  We are deeply concerned about such allegations 
and urge the Government of Zimbabwe to work 
collaboratively with the UN and the international 
community to assure that all food is distributed in an 
impartial and transparent manner. 
 
5. Question: 
 
Why is the U.S. providing biotech food to Zimbabwe and 
what effect will this have on the USG's ability to 
respond to the humanitarian crisis?  Why can't the U.S. 
simply sign the GM certificates requested by the 
Government of Zimbabwe?  The USG keeps saying that 
"there is no evidence that biotech food is harmful," but 
that is not the same as saying that biotech food is 
guaranteed to be safe.  The issues of transgenic 
mutation and unintended side effects do not seem 
completely resolved.  Why can't the US avoid these 
concerns by providing non-biotech maize, or providing 
money so that relief agencies can buy non-biotech maize 
from other sources? 
 
Answer: 
 
To begin with, we are very pleased that the Government 
of Zimbabwe and WFP have worked out an arrangement for 
the acceptance of the first shipment of whole kernel 
biotech maize.  We urge that this agreement be followed 
quickly by others to accept all the food that we are 
prepared to donate to alleviate the food crisis in 
Zimbabwe. We believe this arrangement recognizes that 
the food provided by the U.S. to Zimbabwe is the same as 
that consumed by Americans.  Biotech crops are subject 
to a rigorous safety review by the USDA, FDA, and EPA. 
The food is eaten by millions of Americans and to date 
no evidence has shown any negative health implications. 
This has been stated categorically by the WHO and WFP. 
Countries all over the world, including South Africa, 
China and Brazil, produce biotech food.  This advanced 
technology has helped make seeds more resistant to such 
ravages as pests and drought, and holds great promise 
for increased agricultural productivity in Africa. 
 
6. Question: 
 
What is the U.S. position on the causes of the current 
food crisis in Zimbabwe?  What should the GOZ be doing 
to address the crisis? 
 
Answer: 
 
The food crisis in Zimbabwe is highly complex and 
multifaceted.  Although the regional drought has 
undoubtedly been a real factor in the food shortages in 
Zimbabwe, the situation has been greatly exacerbated by 
the policies and actions of the Government of Zimbabwe. 
Shortfalls in agricultural production in Zimbabwe -- due 
in very large measure to government-sponsored, chaotic, 
and often violent seizures of commercial farms and 
failed economic policies -- are having a direct impact 
on food availability and prices throughout the region. 
Other counterproductive Government of Zimbabwe policies 
-- such as the GMB monopoly on grain imports, price 
controls and unrealistic exchange rates -- have 
hamstrung the private sector and contributed to the food 
crisis.  Foreign exchange shortages - themselves a 
result of counterproductive government policies - also 
limit Zimbabwe's ability to procure and import food and 
essential agricultural commodities.  All of these issues 
also affect Zimbabwe's ability to resume agricultural 
production and, hence, mitigate the crisis. 
 
The United States Government will continue to provide 
food assistance to help the most needy affected by the 
food crisis in Zimbabwe, but we do so with our eyes open 
to the fact that the Government of Zimbabwe bears much 
of the responsibility for the growing humanitarian 
crisis in Zimbabwe and the region.  The GOZ urgently 
needs to address the policy problems that have 
substantially contributed to this crisis, carry through 
on its commitment to import food and distribute food in 
an equitable and transparent manner with need as the 
only criterion. 
 
7. Question: 
 
How much has the U.S. given in food assistance to 
Zimbabwe?  Why is the USG doing so much to provide food 
to Zimbabwe even as it criticizes the GOZ so harshly? 
Don't you think that your food assistance may be helping 
the government of Robert Mugabe to remain in power? 
 
Answer: 
 
To date, the U.S. has approved the provision of 106,630 
MTs of food assistance (valued at US$56 million) to 
Zimbabwe (approximately 43,000MT has arrived in country 
to date).  Within the southern African region, Zimbabwe 
is the country that is most severely affected by the 
current food crisis.  The people and government of the 
United States are strongly committed to providing 
substantial resources to Zimbabwe to respond to this 
crisis.  Yes, the GOZ bears much of the responsibility 
for the crisis, but we will not abandon the Zimbabweans 
who are suffering because of the actions of their 
government. 
 
8. Question: 
 
What is the U.S. position on land reform in Zimbabwe and 
why hasn't the U.S. lived up to its commitments to 
support land reform made at the Lancaster House 
negotiations in 1979 and the 1998 donors' conference? 
 
Answer: 
 
The U.S. believes that land reform in Zimbabwe should be 
implemented in transparent, equitable and consultative 
manner in accordance with the rule of law.  That means 
it should be done without the illegal occupation of 
farms, violence, or the displacement of farm laborers. 
The U.S. did not commit, at the Lancaster House 
negotiations or otherwise, to provide funds for the 
purchase of land.  Since 1980, however, we have provided 
millions of dollars of assistance to the agricultural 
sector, including funding for Zimbabwe to benefit from 
the expertise of the University of Wisconsin's Land 
Tenure Center, which is widely recognized as the 
preeminent center of expertise in land reform from its 
30 years of work throughout the world.  The USG also 
committed at the 1998 Donors' Conference to support a 
transparent, sustainable and lawfully executed land 
redistribution program; the GOZ instead decided to carry 
out a land redistribution program in a manner which 
violated every one of these principles. 
 
9. Question: 
 
What support is the USG/USAID providing to Zimbabwean 
civil society, especially those involved in promoting 
democratic values? 
 
Answer: 
 
Feel free to defer to Ambassador Sullivan. 
 
In 1998, we entered into a grant agreement with 
Government of Zimbabwe that established a program to 
support Zimbabwean civil society.  A big component of 
this program involves finding ways to improve dialogue 
between Parliament and civil society. 
10. Question: 
 
What is your response to rumors that the Government of 
Zimbabwe is preparing new legislation to enable it to 
have greater influence on the operations of PVOs? 
 
Answer: 
 
I have not seen the new legislation that you are 
referring to and, therefore, I cannot comment on it. 
Having said that, in general we believe it is important 
for the Government of Zimbabwe to create an environment 
in which NGOs can effectively carry out their critical 
roles as part of civil society, including participating 
in the distribution of emergency assistance during the 
current humanitarian crisis.  We all know the 
tremendously helpful roles that NGO's, such as World 
Vision, Care, CRS and many others, have played here in 
Zimbabwe in delivering food assistance, working on 
health and HIV-AIDS projects and many other areas.  We 
certainly would hope that the GOZ not deal with NGO's as 
an enemy to to be hamstrung but as a key support to the 
Zimbabwean people.  SULLIVAN