US embassy cable - 03HARARE517

UNCLAS HARARE 000517 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/S 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER 
 
E. O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, ZI 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR CALLED TO MFA OVER NEW SANCTIONS 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED.  NOT FOR INTERNET POSTING. 
 
1. (SBU)  Ambassador Sullivan was called to a meeting on 
March 11 by Ambassador Joey Bimha, Divisional Head - Europe 
and America, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Although 
Ambassador Bimha would not disclose the purpose of the 
meeting in advance, after a few courtesies he immediately 
asked for an explanation of the Executive Order of March 7 
targeting financial assets of President Mugabe and 76 other 
GOZ officials.  Ambassador Sullivan explained the Executive 
Order, restated the prevailing American concern about 
continued violations of human and civil rights, and 
delivered a copy of the text. 
 
2. (SBU)  Ambassador Bimha stated that he and his ministry 
were open to dialogue and expressed the hope that dialogue 
would somehow lead to an end to the current political 
impasse.  However, when discussing the possibility of 
dialogue with the opposition party Movement for Democratic 
Change (MDC), he blamed the opposition party for the 
breakdown in inter-party dialogue.  He remained adamant that 
no dialogue was possible as long as the MDC continued to 
pursue its court challenge of the 2002 presidential 
elections. 
 
3. (SBU) Comment.  The most significant aspect of this 
conversation was Ambassador Bimha's expressions of surprise 
that economic sanctions had finally been imposed.  Despite a 
year's worth of USG and international censure of Zimbabwe's 
human rights violations, civil rights violations, 
humanitarian catastrophe, economic implosion, political 
crisis, and despite frequent USG warnings of impending 
financial sanctions, the diplomat feigned astonishment that 
the USG's clearly stated intentions had finally matured into 
explicit action.  This also fits with the slowness of GOZ 
reaction to USG financial sanctions.  Except for an 
anonymous GOZ official's claim to Reuters International that 
the sanctions were a white racist reaction to land 
redistribution, the US financial sanctions went unreported 
and without comment in the state media until the night of 
Tuesday, March 11.  The explanations given that US sanctions 
were somehow a favor to the British and a part of Iraq 
policy were bizarre.  How to explain GOZ wrong-footedness? 
Perhaps they have been reading too much of their own 
propaganda that the French invitation to Mugabe and South 
African/Nigerian advocacy for ending Commonwealth sanctions 
were great Zimbabwean triumphs signaling the accommodation 
of the world to Zimbabwean reality.  Oh well -- back to the 
drawing board.  End comment.