US embassy cable - 03HARARE1400

UNCLAS HARARE 001400 
 
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, PHUM, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA COVERAGE PRESIDENT BUSH'S VISIT TO AFRICA; 
HARARE 
 
 
  1.   President George W. Bush's visit to Africa continues 
      to make headlines in the local print and electronic media. 
      While the independent press is casting the visit in 
      positive light, the government-controlled print and 
      electronic media is denouncing the whistle stop tour of 
      Africa as inconsequential.  The government-controlled daily 
      "The Herald" and the state-run radio and television 
      station, ZTV, have dispatched reporters to cover President 
      Bush's visit to South Africa.  The July 8 main news 
      bulletin at 2000 hours on ZTV One made the Bush visit its 
      top story.  The story included a live telephone interview 
      with the organization's Chief Reporter Reuben Barwe in 
      Pretoria, who gave a brief synopsis of President Bush's 
      visit to South Africa.  Barwe's interview was followed by 
      another live studio interview with a political analyst, 
      William Nhara, who said President Bush "is welcome" for as 
      long as he is here "to strengthening existing economic 
      ties" and "does not meddle in the internal affairs of other 
      countries."  Since yesterday, President Bush's visit is 
      dominating news bulletins on all the four radio stations 
      broadcast in English and the two major indigenous languages 
      - Shona and Ndebele. 
 
  2.   The lead stories in the July 9 editions of the 
      government-controlled daily "The Herald" and the 
      independent daily "The Daily News" focus on 
      President Bush's visit to South Africa.  Article 
      excerpts follow: 
 
      Under headline "Uproar over Bush's visit" the 
      "Herald" carried the following stories under sub- 
      headline: "Mbeki imperialist says MDC": 
 
      "In a desperate attempt to attract international 
      attention to coincide with U. S. President George W. 
      Bush's visit to Africa, MDC supporters yesterday 
      held an illegal demonstration in Harare denouncing 
      South African President Thabo Mbeki as an 
      imperialist. . .About 30 MDC demonstrators handed 
      over a petition to the U. S. Embassy in Harare.  The 
      petition labels Mr. Mbeki an `imperialist' who wants 
      to see Zimbabwe `perpetually weak so as not to pose 
      a threat to his own country.'  They ran and chanted 
      along the streets carrying placards reading `Mugabe 
      step down' and `We want a transitional government 
      now.'  `President Mbeki has indeed lost the moral 
      authority to mediate in the Zimbabwe crisis,' read 
      part of the petition.  Zimbabwe cannot continue to 
      suffer because of President Mbeki's imperialist 
      ambitions. . . .'" 
 
      Under the sub-headline "U. S. demands on Zim 
      impossible - media" the "Herald" carried the 
      following article by Itayi Musengeyi in Pretoria, 
      South Africa: 
 
      "U. S. President George W. Bush was due to arrive 
      here late last night, amid South African media 
      reports that Pretoria would tell him that his 
      demands on Zimbabwe are impossible.  Speculation was 
      rife in the media that Zimbabwe would feature in 
      talks between Mr. Bush and his SA counterpart 
      President Thabo Mbeki following recent 
      pronouncements by Washington that Harare should hold 
      fresh Presidential elections. . . ."  The article 
      then proceeded to quote press reports from several 
      Johannesburg-based newspapers and radio stations. 
 
  3.   Under headline "Anti-Mbeki demo foiled" the 
      independent daily "The Daily News" (07/09) carried the 
      following lead story by Angela Makamure: 
 
      "Several people were assaulted in Harare yesterday 
      and two arrested when riot police put down a 
      demonstration against South African President Thabo 
      Mbeki and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe on the 
      eve of a visit to Pretoria by U. S. leader George W. 
      Bush.  Demonstrators numbering about 3,000 marched 
      through the streets of the capital city's central 
      business district, carrying placards denouncing 
      Mbeki's policy pf `quiet diplomacy' on the crisis in 
      Zimbabwe. . . ." 
 
  4.   Post will fax the full text of the articles ASAP. 
 
SILLIVAN