US embassy cable - 03HARARE1151

UNCLAS HARARE 001151 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS AND AF/S RAYNOR 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION MASS ACTION IN ZIM; HARARE 
 
  1.   Editorials in the June 5 editions of the 
      government-controlled daily "Chronicle" and the 
      pro-government "Business Tribune" concentrated on 
      the continuing mass action in Zimbabwe called by the 
      opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to 
      pressure the Mugabe administration to the 
      negotiating table as a lead up to arresting the 
      run-away economic meltdown in the country. 
      Excerpts: 
 
  2.   Under headline "Saboteurs must face wrath of law" the 
      "Chronicle" (06/05) comments: 
 
      "The devil has been unmasked.  It is clear who the 
      nation's enemy is.  The businesses that closed on 
      Monday confirmed what has always been our suspicion 
      - that they are working in cahoots with the 
      opposition MDC to sabotage the economy.  . .The 
      nation cannot continue to be fooled by these 
      saboteurs who claim their action is meant to protect 
      property. . .Those who wine and dine with the enemy 
      are accomplices and should be treated as 
      such. . . ." 
 
  3.   Under headline "Politicians playing into West's hands" 
      the pro-government weekly "Business Tribune" (06/05) 
      comments: 
 
      ". . .In the end, both ZANU-PF and the MDC are 
      playing into the hands of the West.  On the one 
      hand, ZANU-PF believes it will eventually subdue 
      what they label the West's surrogate (the MDC) by 
      using the state machinery while on the other the MDC 
      looks up to the West's economic and military muscle 
      to effect a regime change.  . .They are both bound 
      to fail.  Meanwhile the West will be the victor as 
      the destruction of the economy continues until total 
      collapse. . .whoever is going to preside over the 
      ashes will have to appeal for Western assistance and 
      the West will only be too happy to give it - with 
      strings attached. . .The mass action must have been 
      quite embarrassing to both Thabo Mbeki and Olusegun 
      Obasanjo. . .Uppermost in their minds could be how 
      Zimbabwe has continued to display to the world its 
      political immaturity.  Zimbabweans should now rise 
      above their bovine intelligence and begin to behave 
      like people who appreciate the extent of the 
      Zimbabwean crisis." 
 
SULLIVAN