US embassy cable - 03HARARE1150

UNCLAS HARARE 001150 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS AND AF/S RAYNOR 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT GOZ ACCUSES WEST OF BACKING MDC; 
HARARE 
 
Stung by a paralyzing five-day country-wide shut-down 
arranged by Zimbabwe's main opposition party - Movement for 
Democratic Change (MDC) - to register their displeasure at 
Mugabe's mismanagement of the country, Foreign Affairs 
Minister Stan Mudenge has spoken angrily to the Western 
governments accusing them of supporting "MDC's lawlessness 
and hooliganism" at the expense of government efforts to 
uphold the rule of law.  Addressing diplomats in Harare on 
June 4, Mudenge is quoted as saying: "This is dangerous. 
If allowed to succeed it will lead to anarchy and chaos in 
this country. . .This exposes the hypocrisy and double 
standards of these external financiers and handlers of the 
MDC. . .But it becomes a crime when the government of 
Zimbabwe tries to enforce High Court rulings aimed at 
restraining forces hell-bent on removing a legitimately- 
elected government by violent means and in trying to make 
the country ungovernable. . .Tsvangirai is not above the 
law. . .No government deriving its mandate from the people 
would allow lawlessness to prevail. . .Let no one suffer 
from any illusion that the people of Zimbabwe as well as 
the forces of law and order will ever tolerate the removal 
of a legally elected government by force.  That will not 
happen. . ."  Mudenge's briefing to diplomats on the 
current situation in the country received extensive media 
play, especially in the government-controlled print and 
electronic media. 
 
SULLIVAN