US embassy cable - 03HARARE304

UNCLAS HARARE 000304 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS 
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 IRAQ; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "U.N. must not allow U. S. to start 
      war" the government-controlled daily dedicated its 
      February 11 editorial to urging the United Nations to 
      restrain the United States from attacking Iraq. 
      Excerpts follow: 
 
  2.   "The tug-of-war between the United States and a 
      growing European bloc opposed to military action 
      against Iraq, unless there is much better evidence of 
      an Iraqi threat to international security, gives the 
      United Nations a chance to show that it is not run for 
      the convenience of its most powerful member. . .  More 
      countries and people throughout the world, including in 
      the United States itself, are against a war with Iraq 
      unless far better evidence of breaches of U.N. 
      resolutions is presented by these independent 
      inspection teams.  With Russia, France, Germany and 
      China opposed to a unilateral military strike by the 
      U.S., the U.N. has a clear mandate to act tough on 
      America.  The U.N. must not allow anyone to start a 
      war.  The U.N. has a duty to put a stop to this rush 
      towards the destruction of another country because its 
      most important mandate is to keep peace and prevent war 
      as well as enhance the security of all nations.  There 
      can be no greater threat to peace and security than the 
      situation currently unfolding in the Middle East. 
 
      ". . .Dislike of another government is not an 
      excuse for war.  Whatever weapons of mass 
      destruction Iraq may once have had, some it 
      acquired with American help when the U.S., for 
      reasons that held little water then, covertly 
      supported Iraq in its unsuccessfully invasion of 
      Iran, simply because Iran humiliated the U.S. 
      What is also disconcerting is that the U.N.- 
      mandated war against Iraq more than a decade ago 
      was fought by President George Bush's father 
      using, in principle, the same war cabinet that 
      has just changed roles.  The younger Bush should 
      recognize the wisdom his father showed when he 
      decided that any change of government in Iraq 
      had to be done by the people of that country, 
      and not by an outsider, especially a distrusted 
      outsider like the U.S.  Bush Sr. forced Iraq to 
      obey U. N. resolutions to withdraw from Kuwait 
      and then, correctly, stopped.  His son should do 
      likewise and not try to twist U.N. resolutions 
      to suit his own desires." 
 
SULLIVAN