US embassy cable - 03HARARE672

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Identifier:	03HARARE672
Wikileaks:	View 03HARARE672 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Harare
Created:	2003-04-04 05:39:00
Classification:	UNCLASSIFIED
Tags:	IZ KPAO KMDR ZI
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

UNCLAS HARARE 000672 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS 
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IZ, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WAR WITH IRAQ; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "Butchering of Iraqi civilians 
      worrying" the independent weekly "Business Tribune" 
      dedicated its April 3 editorial to describing the 
      United States-led war against Iraq as "one big- 
      enterprise in manslaughter."  Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "The description by a wounded British soldier who 
      survived friendly fire last weekend should give 
      everybody an insight into how painful war 
      is. . .  Thousands and thousands of Iraqi women 
      and children are experiencing the pain he felt 
      and the noise he would never want to hear again. 
      (Lance Corporal of Horse Steven) Gerrard's 
      cowardice is obvious.  He does not wish to 
      experience the pain of war while inflicting it 
      on innocent civilians.  This unfortunately has 
      become the character of the coalition's invasion 
      of Iraq.  American soldiers especially have 
      begun to show this cowardice more and more as 
      they kill innocent civilians trying to run away 
      from the conflict.  Their cowboy-style 
      checkpoint shootings show a cowardly approach to 
      the war that might well turn public opinion 
      against them. . .  The war has become dirty and 
      this had not been factored into the `shock and 
      awe' strategy.  Obviously now the invaders have 
      crossed the Rubicon and cannot therefore retreat 
      without their ultimate trophy, Saddam Hussein's 
      scalp.  But the world should be very worried by 
      the butchering of innocent people.  The Gerrard 
      incident shows the invasion of Iraq is one big- 
      enterprise in manslaughter." 
 
SULLIVAN