US embassy cable - 03HARARE713

UNCLAS HARARE 000713 
 
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 IN IRAQ; HARARE 
 
  1.   Under headline "What next for 26 million Iraqis 
      after Saddam?" the independent daily "The Daily News" 
      dedicated its April 10 editorial to the need for the 
      UN to be engaged in the reconstruction of Iraq. 
      Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "The United Nations is justified to be concerned 
      at the future of the 26 million people of Iraq after 
      the United States-British forces have routed Saddam 
      Hussein and set up a `colonial' administration.  The 
      coalition seems undecided as to the role of the U.N. 
      after the Iraqi dictatorship has finally been sent 
      packing.  It is vital for the future of the U.N. for 
      it to be given a role in the Iraq to be rebuilt after 
      the war. . .  The world needs to restore its faith in 
      the U.N., whose efficacy as the final arbiter of peace 
      in the world has been sorely challenged by the U.S.-UK 
      adventure in Iraq. . .  The morality of the military 
      action against Saddam Hussein will be debated for a 
      long time to come, along with the new doctrine of the 
      U. S. Government of `regime change. . .'   What does 
      the future hold for what have been called `rogue 
      regimes' which ignore everything that can conceivably 
      be seen as allowing for the freedom to the people to 
      exercise their inalienable rights as citizens?  There 
      are governments today, members of the U.N., who can be 
      slotted into this category.  The U.N. itself has no 
      power to act against them, unless there is consensus 
      for such action among the five permanent members of 
      the Security Council.  If there is no consensus, what 
      happened to Saddam Hussein becomes an option, a 
      dangerous option, but an option nevertheless." 
 
SULLIVAN