US embassy cable - 02HARARE2414

UNCLAS HARARE 002414 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/S, AF/RA, AF/PDPA 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, ZI 
SUBJECT:  U.S. COMMENTS ABOUT ZIMBABWE'S FOOD CRISIS 
MAKE FRONT PAGES 
 
 
  1.   Drawing on the Reuters report of Deputy Assistant 
      Secretary Bellamy's November 2 interview with the 
      Washington Times, both the government-owned Herald and 
      independent Daily News lead with reporting on U.S. 
      concern about Zimbabwe's food crisis.  The Herald's 
      page-one, below-the-fold headline is "Anti-Zim Drive: 
      U.S. Plans to Invade Harare."  The Daily News page- 
      one, above-the-fold headline is "U.S. Threatens 
      Zimbabwe: Warns of Intervention to Ensure Food Reaches 
      Needy Regardless of Political Affiliation."  Both 
      stories accurately quote Reuters and Washington Times 
      reports, but the Herald provides page-two space for 
      reactions from Government of Zimbabwe officials and 
      supporters.  The reactions are predictably critical. 
      Copies of both stories have been faxed to AF/S and 
      AF/PD. 
 
  2.   The Herald also dedicates its November 6 
      editorial to the issue.  Under the title "U.S. threats 
      an insult to Africans" editorial criticizes what it 
      sees as U.S. "deceit." Excerpts: 
 
      "The threats by the American Government to 
      openly undermine Zimbabwe's sovereignty should 
      not be taken lightly, as it is a direct 
      challenge to the universal norms of freedom that 
      are not only cherished by Zimbabweans but by the 
      entire free world.  Coming barely a few months 
      after the launch of the African Union and the 
      last SADC summit, the American utterance, that 
      Africans are unworthy to stand as equals among 
      the nations of the world, is an insult to the 
      peoples of the continent as a whole. . ." 
 
      ". . .The cynical justification for the 
      threatened intervention is three tons of food 
      aid that was reportedly confiscated from WFP by 
      alleged ZANU PF youths and distributed in an 
      unfair manner, although it is not stated whether 
      those who got it were supporters of the party or 
      not.  The three tons of maize in question can 
      hardly feed one village for a day but for the 
      Americans, it is good enough evidence to 
      threaten the sovereignty of an independent 
      country. . ." 
 
      ". . .To suggest that the U.S. will intervene in 
      Zimbabwe in a manner that will undermine the 
      country's sovereignty in order to ensure that 
      food relief gets to the needy, irrespective of 
      political affiliation is the height of deceit. 
      If the Americans are that worried about the 
      plight of hungry Zimbabweans, they are most 
      welcome to pour in all the required food aid and 
      distribute it themselves as long as it meets the 
      specifications and requirements set by the 
      government.  Unlike in Afghanistan where Yankee 
      military planes were dropping bombs and bags of 
      food aid simultaneously, here, they do not have 
      to stretch themselves that far, as they will be 
      most welcome to come in and do the distribution 
      themselves while the government watches to 
      ensure that food aid is not politicized." 
 
WHITEHEAD