US embassy cable - 02HARARE2317

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Identifier:	02HARARE2317
Wikileaks:	View 02HARARE2317 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Harare
Created:	2002-10-21 14:36:00
Classification:	UNCLASSIFIED
Tags:	PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

UNCLAS HARARE 002317 
 
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, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION DROC; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "Elusive peace in the DRC" the 
      editorial in the independent, pro-government daily 
      "The Daily Mirror" encouraged the African Union (AU) 
      to take the lead in enforcing the peace deal in the 
      Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "As Zimbabwean and other SADC allied forces 
      withdraw from the DRC, fighting has not stopped in 
      that vast and rich country. . .  All this continued 
      suffering is a serious indictment of the UN forces 
      that are supposed to bring peace to the DRC.  The 
      reason there is so much violence in the Kivu region is 
      that when the Rwandan forces withdrew from the DRC 
      following an agreement with the Kinshasa government, a 
      power vacuum was created which should have been 
      balanced by UN forces.  Unfortunately, the paltry 
      number of UN forces that is in the DRC could not be 
      stretched enough to cover that vast country.  So, the 
      withdrawal of both the SADC Allied forces and of the 
      Ugandan and Rwandese forces has not brought the peace 
      that we were all expecting. 
 
      ". . .But. . .the real challenge is for. . .the 
      AU. . .to take charge of collective security 
      issues in all parts of Africa, and the DRC would 
      be a starting point.  It is one thing to look to 
      the UN to enforce the peace deal in the DRC, but 
      it would be more meaningful if the AU were to 
      take control of the situation.  It is however 
      disheartening to note that to date, there is no 
      AU plan or statement on peace in the DRC. . ." 
 
SULLIVAN