US embassy cable - 03HARARE1447

UNCLAS HARARE 001447 
 
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: PREL, KPAO, KMDR, ZI 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION IRAQ; HARARE 
 
 
  1.   Under headline "MPs call for Blair to resign: Bush 
      hangs British PM out to dry over Iraqi nuclear 
      claims" the government-controlled daily "The Herald" 
      (07/17) carried the following opinion article by 
      Chris Marsden on page 9: 
 
  2.   "In admitting U. S. doubts over British intelligence 
      reports concerning Iraqi weapons of mass destruction 
      (WMD), the Bush administration has deepened the 
      political crisis of British Prime Minister Tony 
      Blair.  In particular, Blair has been hit by recent 
      statements from Washington distancing Bush from 
      British reports, exposed months ago as having been 
      based on forged documents, of Iraqi efforts to 
      purchase uranium from Niger. . .The willingness of 
      top Bush personnel to hang Blair out to dry in order 
      to save their own necks is a painful reminder for 
      the Prime Minister of the true value attached by the 
      U. S. to the so-called `special relationship.'  It 
      has been made clear to Blair that whereas he is 
      considered a useful ally, he is still expendable. 
      The lesson in political duplicity provided by the 
      Bush administration could not have come at a worse 
      time for Blair.  It has placed his very political 
      survival in question, with demands being made for 
      his resignation in the face of the continued failure 
      to find any evidence of Iraqi WMDs. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN