US embassy cable - 03HARARE1370

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 001370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS 
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION PRESIDENT BUSH'S VISIT TO AFRICA; 
HARARE 
 
 
  1.   President George W. Bush's visit to Africa remains the 
      top issue for discussion in lengthy editorials being 
      carried in the mainstream newspapers ahead of the July 7 - 
      12 visit.  Excerpts follow: 
 
  2.   Under headline "Bush must respect African leadership" 
      the government-controlled daily "The Herald" (07/07), 
      comments: 
 
      "American leader Mr. George W. Bush begins his first 
      visit to Africa. . .with very dirty hands after his 
      alleged bungling in Iraq.  American and British 
      troops stand accused of slaughtering thousands of 
      unarmed civilians including women and children 
      during the U. S.-led invasion of Iraq. . .Mr. Bush 
      will be hoping to make the whole world believe that 
      America cares about Africa despite ample evidence to 
      the contrary. . .Whatever his real motive for coming 
      to Africa, Mr. Bush had better not dictate things to 
      anyone, lest, as President Mugabe warned over the 
      weekend, he be spurned. . .While we know that no 
      African leader worth his salt and who really knows 
      America will accept to be used by the likes of Mr. 
      Bush, we think an opportunity has arisen for the 
      Texan to experience first-hand the rock-solid unity 
      prevalent in Africa.. . . ." 
 
  3.   Under headline "Bush visit: What's in it for Zimbabwe" 
      the independent weekly "The Standard" (07/06), comments: 
 
      ". . .Whether President Mugabe and ZANU PF choose to 
      dismiss the visit as a non-event or not, the point 
      must be forcefully made that each of the countries 
      to be visited is moving ahead while Zimbabwe is 
      definitely retreating back to Stone Age.  This is 
      the reality which is staring us in the face. . 
      .Describing Colin Powell as a `disgraceful Uncle 
      Tom' and other such vitriol might be what Jonathan 
      Moyo (Information Minister) believes he is paid for, 
      but it certainly will not bring food on the tables 
      of long suffering Zimbabweans.  It was, in terms of 
      foreign relations, an extraordinary inept thing to 
      say even for a government not known for its delicacy 
      of diplomacy.  If these crude and undignified 
      attacks on President Bush and U. S. Secretary of 
      State Colin Powell were being made from a position 
      of strength, perhaps we would be more guarded in our 
      criticism. . .This paper emphatically agrees with 
      Colin Powell. . .However, by the same token, we 
      share the view that the U. S. should not adopt the 
      role of a world policeman advocating a regime 
      change.  Rather it should concentrate its energies 
      on helping the people of Zimbabwe and African 
      leaders resolve a specific political problem such as 
      the one in this country.  Yes, the United States 
      might be the leader of the free world, is a great 
      democracy, a military super power and a nation 
      unequalled in material wealth.  But all that does 
      not give it the right to act as a world policeman 
      and calling for regime changes wherever there is a 
      problem.  Our advice to the U. S. is that acting in 
      this high handed manner can only alienate people and 
      needlessly lose the goodwill of its friends in 
      Africa.  Powell's dramatic language ran the risk of 
      being interpreted as war-mongering and parallels 
      being drawn with the Iraq war. . .The U. S. 
      administration's criticism of the Mugabe regime is 
      very valid. . .But in his meeting with Presidents 
      Mbeki and Obasanjo, President Bush is advised not to 
      display a one-eyed view of the continent.  While 
      making his analysis of the Zimbabwe crisis clear, he 
      must also be prepared to listen carefully to what 
      the African leaders will have to say and move in 
      tandem with them for the resolution of the 
      Zimbabwean crisis. . . ." 
 
  4.   Under headline "Bush visit no panacea to our problems" 
      the pro-government weekly "The Sunday Mirror" (07/06) 
      comments: 
 
      "We reiterate our position that U. S. President, 
      George W. Bush's visit to the southern African 
      region this week will not have any impact on 
      Zimbabwe. . .For those hoping that Bush will effect 
      a regime change in Zimbabwe. . .we urge them to 
      study that prospect more realistically and not be 
      blinded by the euphoria of expectations that has 
      clouded sound vision among their ranks. . .It is not 
      important for us to point out that Liberia presents 
      the most nagging challenge for the Americans at the 
      moment and that if any imminent action is demanded 
      of the U. S. right now, it is on that beleaguered 
      West African state. . .On the resolution of 
      Zimbabwe's political impasse and its attendant 
      economic woes, the process initiated by the African 
      troika still presents itself as the only legitimate 
      `road map. . .'  Our message to those who have 
      burdened Bush's imminent visit with their misplaced 
      expectations, therefore, is that they should look 
      inwards for a resolution to the country's problems. 
      The sooner this is done, the quicker our problems 
      are sorted out - by ourselves. . . ." 
 
  5.   Under headline "Warning to MDC surrogates" the 
      government-controlled Bulawayo-based daily 
      "Chronicle" (07/05), comments: 
 
     "The U. S. and Britain. . .are driving terror into 
     many nations in the name of fighting terrorism. . .Of 
     late they have been threatening to include what they 
     call regime change on a number of countries, including 
     Zimbabwe, viewed as not towing the line. . .Bush and 
     his Secretary for State, Collin (sic) Powell have in 
     recent weeks stepped up their vilification of 
     President Mugabe and publicly called for his ouster 
     from power. . .President Mugabe on Thursday told the 
     54th Ordinary Session of the ruling ZANU PF Central 
     Committee that Africans should not be intimidated by 
     Bush's visit.  `He is coming to visit and he should 
     not dare to try what he did to Iraq.  He knows the 
     situation is different.  After all we do not have oil 
     here,' said an unperturbed President Mugabe.  While 
     welcoming . . .Mugabe's words of courage, it is 
     disheartening that there are some sellouts among us, 
     especially within the opposition MDC who appear 
     determined to team up with foreigners like Bush to 
     destabilize the country. . .This business of teaming 
     up with foreigners against your brother is un-African 
     . . .As South African President Thabo Mbeki said 
     recently, the problems affecting Zimbabwe can be 
     solved by Zimbabweans.  Neighbors and the 
     international community can only assist.  We urge MDC 
     and British and American masters to take President 
     Mbeki's advice very seriously to avoid embarrassing 
     themselves. . . ." 
 
  6.   Under headline "The root of misrule in Zimbabwe" the 
      independent weekly "Zimbabwe Independent" (07/04) 
      comments: 
 
      ". . .U. S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's 
      comparison of Zimbabwe's regime with that of 
      Burma's, where state violence against a popular 
      opposition has ensured for that country the 
      reputation of a rogue state, appears to have stung 
      members of Mugabe's inner circle.  And so it should. 
      Zimbabwe's international standing has been 
      prejudiced by ongoing state-sponsored terror and 
      impunity for those who have assaulted, tortured and 
      killed members of the opposition.  Zimbabwe's rulers 
      are getting the reputation they deserve. . . ." 
 
  7.   Under headline " Bush must tread softly in Africa" the 
      pro-government weekly  "Business Tribune" (07/03) comments: 
 
      "Threats coming from the U. S. that American 
      President George Bush would `lean hard' on South 
      African President Thabo Mbeki to change his policy 
      on Zimbabwe show that the American administration 
      overestimates the power Mbeki wields over his 
      Zimbabwean counterpart.  Also, it shows that 
      America's view of the Zimbabwean problem is overly 
      simplistic.  Mbeki. . .long realized that the 
      Zimbabwean problem can only be solved by Zimbabweans 
      themselves without undue influence from interested 
      parties such as Britain and America. . .In a way 
      Bush's expected posturing in South Africa next week 
      might reverse the little gains achieved so far. 
      Bush's African tour must be seen in the bigger 
      picture of his attempt to cow the African continent 
      into submitting to American dominance of world 
      trade.  In his remarks to the Corporate Council on 
      Africa's U. S.-Africa Business Summit. . .Bush 
      betrayed the true purpose of his tour, namely that 
      it was more about American interests than anything 
      else. . . By `leaning hard' on Mbeki next week 
      Bush's intention is simply to add him to the list of 
      submissive African heads of state prepared to 
      mortgage their countries' sovereignty to American 
      imperialism.  Bush should tread softly on his path 
      in Africa." 
 
SULLIVAN