US embassy cable - 03HARARE1478

UNCLAS HARARE 001478 
 
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 AFRICAL; 
HARARE 
 
  1.   Under headline "U. S. crop subsidies disadvantage 
      African farmers" the July 20 edition of the 
      government-controlled Bulawayo-based weekly "Sunday 
      News" carried the following article by Mbongeni 
      Mguni, in which he criticizes President George W. 
      Bush for dodging the issue of crop subsidies during 
      his visit to Africa, charging that the current 
      system of crop subsidies portray "a racist agenda by 
      the Republican regime to entrench agricultural 
      hegemony over Africa."  Excerpts: 
 
  2.   "President George W. Bush of the United States, whose 
      country has stubbornly refused to scrap the trillion-dollar 
      crop subsidies for U. S. farmers that disadvantage African 
      farmers, remained mum on the controversial issue during his 
      just-ended whirlwind tour of the continent.  This has 
      thrown a damper on export farming in Africa. . .With 
      federal government backing, farmers in America are able to 
      under-price their crop exports, cutting deeply into export 
      markets, where African farmers are struggling to gain a 
      foothold. . .Cotton, coffee, wheat and other cash crop 
      farmers in southern Africa were hoping that Mr. Bush would 
      use his African safari to announce a downward review of 
      subsidies to farmers in America.  However, the American 
      President neatly skirted the issue of crop subsidies, 
      focusing his energies on persuading African farmers and 
      governments to import genetically modified crop products 
      and allow the wide-scale use of biotechnology in 
      agriculture. . .Other international groups, mostly based in 
      America, believe the system of crop subsidies is part of a 
      racist agenda by the Republican regime to entrench 
      agricultural hegemony over Africa. . . ." 
 
SULLIVAN