US embassy cable - 03HARARE549

UNCLAS HARARE 000549 
 
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: DAILY NEWS REACTS TO COMMONWEALTH EXTENSION OF 
ZIMBABWE'S SUSPENSION 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "Extension of suspension is a 
      victory for sanity" the independent daily "The Daily 
      News" dedicated its March 18 editorial to hailing 
      Zimbabwe's suspension from the councils of the 
      Commonwealth for a further nine months, saying it is "a 
      victory of sanity over the tragically misguided African 
      solidarity" that had advocated for the readmission of 
      Zimbabwe.  Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "The entire civilized world must have heaved a 
      collective sigh of relief at the news that 
      Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth 
      councils will remain in place until the next 
      Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 
      Nigeria in December.  Not only has the decision 
      pulled back the Commonwealth from the brink of a 
      debilitating polarization, or even 
      disintegration, which the adoption of Nigerian 
      President Olusegun Obasanjo's recommendation was 
      almost certainly going to cause.  But it is also 
      a victory of sanity over the tragically 
      misguided African solidarity, which had 
      influenced the recommendation in the first 
      place. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN