This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

260558Z Nov 01


                           UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0184

PAGE 01        HARARE  03533  260646Z 
ACTION INR-00   

INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AF-00    A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00  INL-00   
      USNW-00  DODE-00  DS-00    EUR-00   UTED-00  VC-00    TEDE-00  
      LAB-01   VCE-00   DCP-01   NSAE-00  TEST-00  USIE-00  BBG-00   
      IIP-00   DSCC-00  DRL-02   NFAT-00  SAS-00     /004W
                  ------------------42E9D1  260647Z /38    
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0365
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA 
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK 
AMEMBASSY GABORONE 
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE 
AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003533 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, SCHLACHTER, AF/S KRAFT, AF/P, 
INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: HERALD WARNS OF U.S.-ZIMBABWE "DIPLOMATIC ROW" 
 
 
¶1.   THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED DAILY "THE HERALD" PUBLISHED A 
   PAGE-ONE STORY ON NOVEMBER 23 ASSERTING THAT A "DIPLOMATIC 
   ROW" WAS IMMINENT BETWEEN THE US AND ZIMBABWE.  THE SUBJECT 
   OF THE "ROW" IS A "LETTER" THE US SENT TO THE GOVERNMENT OF 
   ZIMBABWE (GOZ) IN PROTEST OF "WIDESPREAD BEATING OF WHITES 
   AND OTHERS IN RETALIATION TO THE ABDUCTION, TORTURE AND 
   MURDER OF NATIONAL HERO CDE CAIN NKALA."  THE ARTICLE ALSO 
   SPECULATED THAT THE GOZ WOULD SUMMON AMBASSADOR SULLIVAN TO 
   PROTEST THE LETTER "AS THERE WAS NO INDISCRIMINATE BEATING 
   OF PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY." 
 
¶2.   THE ARTICLE QUOTES AN UNNAMED GOZ SPOKESMAN WHO BLAMES 
   HARARE-BASED FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS FOR "FALSE AND ALARMIST 
   REPORTS" AND FOR "GROSS AND OBSCENE MISREPRESENTATION OF 
   FACTS" THAT LED THE US GOVERNMENT TO BELIEVE THERE WERE 
   PROBLEMS IN ZIMBABWE.  THE ARTICLE NAMES 5 REPORTERS IN 
   ZIMBABWE WHO REPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS. 
 
¶3.   EXCERPTS FOLLOW:  "THE U.S. YESTERDAY SENT A LETTER OF 
   PROTEST TO THE GOVERNMENT ALLEGING THAT THERE WERE 
   WIDESPREAD BEATINGS OF WHITES AND OTHERS IN RETALIATION TO 
   THE ABDUCTION, TORTURE AND MURDER OF NATIONAL HERO CAIN 
   NKALA.  THE LETTER IS, HOWEVER, LIKELY TO TRIGGER A 
   DIPLOMATIC FURORE BETWEEN HARARE AND WASHINGTON AS IT WAS 
   SUSPECTED THAT THE ALLEGATIONS WERE BASED ON WIDESPREAD 
   FALSE MEDIA REPORTS BY SOME HARARE-BASED OVERSEAS 
   CORRESPONDENTS.  DIPLOMATIC SOURCES TOLD "THE HERALD" LAST 
   NIGHT THAT HARARE COULD REACT BY SUMMONING THE U.S. 
   AMBASSADOR TO ZIMBABWE JOSEPH SULLIVAN AS THERE WAS NO 
   INDISCRIMINATE BEATING OF PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY.  THE 
   DIPLOMATIC SOURCES SAID IT WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE 
   AMERICANS HAD TAKEN AS AUTHENTIC, FALSE AND ALARMIST 
   REPORTS BY FOREIGN MEDIA CORRESPONDENTS BASED IN HARARE. .A 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  03533  260646Z 
   GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN COULD NOT CONFIRM OR DENY RECEIVING 
   THE PROTEST LETTER FROM THE U.S. GOVERNMENT BUT SAID IF 
   RECEIVED, IT WOULD BE DEALT WITH IN THE USUAL MANNER 
   THROUGH THE DIPLOMATIC CHANNELS. 
 
¶4.   THE SPOKESMAN HOWEVER, CONFIRMED THAT THE GOVERNMENT 
   WAS AWARE OF GROSS MISREPRESENTATION OF FACTS BY HARARE- 
   BASED FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS.  'WE ARE AWARE AND WE ARE 
   VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROSS AND OBSCENE 
   MISREPRESENTATION OF FACTS BY THE SO-CALLED FOREIGN 
   CORRESPONDENTS AND IN PARTICULAR JAN RAATH (TIMES OF 
   LONDON AND THE OBSERVER, LONDON), ANDREW MELDRUM (THE 
   GUARDIAN, THE ECONOMIST AND THE ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE 
   MONITOR), PETA THORNYCROFT (VOA AND THE TELEGRAPH, 
   LONDON), ANGUS SHAW (ASSOCIATED PRESS), RICHARD CARVER 
   (GEMINI FEATURES, MEDIA MONITORING UNIT, SOUTH AFRICA), 
   AND ASSISTED BY THE LIKES OF BASILDON PETA (THE 
   FINANCIAL GAZETTE, ZIMBABWE, AND THE INDEPENDENT, 
   LONDON) AND DUMISANI MULEYA (THE ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT, 
   ZIMBABWE AND THE SUNDAY AND SUNDAY STANDARD, SOUTH 
   AFRICA).  IT IS NOW AN OPEN SECRET THAT THESE REPORTERS 
   ARE NOT ONLY DISTORTING THE FACTS BUT ARE ASSISTING 
   TERRORISTS WHO STAND ACCUSED IN OUR COURTS OF LAW OF 
   ABDUCTION, TORTURE AND MURDER BY COVERING UP AND 
   MISREPRESENTING THE BRUTAL DEEDS OF THE TERRORISTS.' 
   THE SPOKESMAN SAID IF IT WAS TRUE THAT THE AMERICANS HAD 
   SENT A LETTER OF PROTEST 'THEN THAT IS MOST UNFORTUNATE 
   BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN EMBASSY HERE AND AN AMBASSADOR AND 
   ARE THEREFORE IN A POSITION TO KNOW FIRST HAND THAT MDC 
   (MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE) TERRORISTS HAVE 
   ABDUCTED, TORTURED AND MURDERED THEIR PERCEIVED 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  03533  260646Z 
   POLITICAL OPPONENTS.'  THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE U.S. 
   EMBASSY HAD NO REASON OR EXCUSE TO RELY ON THE FALSE 
   REPORTS BY CORRESPONDENTS.  '