US embassy cable - 02HARARE2347

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 002347 
 
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: ZIMBABWEAN PAPERS REACT TO UN REPORT ON 
LOOTING OF THE DRC 
 
 
  1.   Editorials focus on the UN report on "Illegal 
      Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of 
      Wealth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)." 
      Excerpts follow: 
 
  2.   Under headline "Zimbabwe deserve truth on DRC 
      looting" the independent daily "The Daily News" 
      (10/26) comments: 
 
      "The honorable course of action for the 
      Zimbabwean leaders named in the United Nations 
      report on the plunder of the natural resources 
      of the DRC is to step down immediately from 
      their positions. . .  Only the truth can clear 
      the air and until then, all of them must 
      relinquish their posts. . .  The UN report 
      confirms the suspicion both here and around the 
      world that the whiff of scandal surrounding the 
      presence of our troops in the DRC had a solid 
      basis.  It is scandalous that while the official 
      government propaganda was that Zimbabwe was in 
      the DRC to protect the sovereignty of a fellow 
      African country under siege, its leaders were 
      enriching themselves illicitly by exploiting the 
      natural resources of that strife-torn country. . 
      ." 
 
  3.   Under headline "Successful end to DRC mission" 
      the government-controlled weekly "The Sunday Mail" 
      (10/27) comments: 
 
      "On Wednesday the SADC Allied Forces in the DRC 
      will lower their flags at their headquarters to 
      mark the last step in the triumphal withdrawal 
      from the Great Lakes region after a four-year 
      campaign.  No one can question the fact that 
      they have achieved their mission - to preserve 
      the independence and national sovereignty of a 
      sister SADC country against invading forces. 
      There is no doubt that it is Zimbabwe and its 
      allies who have brought peace to the DRC and 
      prevented what would certainly have been 
      genocide.  But Zimbabwe's detractors are 
      determined that it should not get the glory for 
      the work it has done.  This explains why, on the 
      eve of the withdrawal, Western forces led by 
      Britain and the U.S. have engaged their lapdog 
      media in Zimbabwe and in Europe to present 
      Zimbabwe as a plunderer and not a peacemaker. 
      To give the campaign credibility it has been 
      presented in the form of a UN report which, when 
      read closely, exposes itself as nothing but a 
      consolidation of British and American 
      intelligence reports. . ." 
 
  4.   Under headline "The politics behind the UN report 
      on the DRC" the pro-government weekly "The Sunday 
      Mirror" (10/27) comments: 
 
      "What is being peddled in the press as `The UN 
      Report' on the DRC is actually the third in a 
      series of such reports which started in the year 
      2001. . .  The bottom line is that, this third 
      report and final report was supposed to be an 
      anti-Zimbabwe document.  The tone is very clear, 
      and the authors were at pains to name Zimbabwe 
      or to give the name of a Zimbabwean wherever 
      possible.  There is no doubt that Zimbabweans 
      were and are doing business in the DRC, and the 
      Zimbabwe defense Forces involved have never 
      denied it.  They are involved in mining ventures 
      with the full blessing of the government of the 
      DRC. . .  Why the UN experts continued to label 
      declared business as looting is perhaps. . .a 
      matter of ideology. . .  The UN experts are 
      certainly under the spell of the new ideology 
      advanced by Paul Collier which states that all 
      modern African conflicts are a result not of any 
      genuine political, national or regional security 
      concerns, but the greed of a few African 
      strongmen who want to benefit from the looting 
      made possible by the occasion of war.  If 
      followed logically, this argument would nullify 
      all African talk of fighting for liberation, 
      sovereignty, democracy and other political 
      values.  All modern African struggles could then 
      be reduced to nothing more than looting and 
      plundering, and that indeed would be the end of 
      modern African History as we know it." 
 
SULLIVAN