US embassy cable - 03HARARE683

UNCLAS HARARE 000683 
 
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, PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WAR WITH IRAQ; HARARE 
 
  1.   The war to disarm Iraq remains a popular topic for op- 
      eds in the mainstream media.  Excerpts follow: 
 
  2.   Under headline "United States pursuing hidden 
      commercial agenda in Iraq" the April 7 edition of 
      the government-controlled daily "The Herald" carried 
      the following op-ed by Munyaradzi Mugowo on page 8: 
 
      "The unilateral decision by the U.S. to attack Iraq 
      without the U.N. mandate has sparked worldwide anti- 
      war protests and a continuing international debate 
      on the possible implications of the bully, imperious 
      nature of the U.S. .  Kofi Annan seems to be 
      concerned more with U.N. humanitarian interventions 
      in Iraq [and] the rights of the prisoners of war as 
      provided for by the Geneva Convention, than with 
      ending U.S. aggression in the interest of world 
      peace and security.  Allegations of terrorism and 
      human rights violations are always made in geo- 
      settings where the U.S. and Britain have vested 
      commercial interests, especially in circumstances 
      where politico-military aggression appears to be the 
      only conceivable compensation for foreign policy 
      failure.  As a result, a common thread ties the U.S. 
      witch-hunting escapades tenaciously with regimes 
      opposed to both unipolar international relations and 
      U.S. militeralism. . ." 
 
  3.   Under headline "DRC and Iraq wars linked: U.S., UK 
      seek to re-colonize African and Gulf states, the 
      April 6 edition of the government-controlled weekly 
      "The Sunday Mail" carried the following opinion 
      piece by Tafataona Mahoso.  Excerpts: 
 
      ". . .The U.S. and the UK supported the aggression 
      against the DRC and the U.S. and the UK are re- 
      colonizing Iraq.  The re-colonizing of Iraq because 
      it is rich in petroleum means that we have not yet 
      seen the end of the imperialist struggle to re- 
      colonize the DRC for its strategic minerals.  The 
      peace accord is only a short break; and the African 
      countries supporting the U.S.-UK aggression against 
      Iraq may be used both to divide the African Union 
      and to endorse U.S.-UK efforts to re-colonize 
      Africa. . .  The first step Pan-Africanists would 
      expect from African leaders is a clear condemnation 
      of the barbarism we are witnessing in Iraq.  The 
      second step would be a wake-up call to the people of 
      Africa, showing that African leaders understand that 
      the Anglo-American unipolar world is not about 
      democracy, human rights, transparency, good 
      governance and rule of law.  Rather it is a world of 
      greed, lies and genocide." 
 
SULLIVAN