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

261252Z Nov 01


                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1356

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                  ------------------431794  261353Z /48    
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0368
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
AMEMBASSY OSLO 
AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
AMEMBASSY KINGSTON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 003539 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 11/26/11 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MUGABE WALKS OUT ON EU TEAM 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON.  REASONS: 
1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) A SENIOR EU TEAM HAD A VERY ROCKY MEETING WITH PRESIDENT 
MUGABE ON NOVEMBER 23.  THE PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN A NORMAL 
DIPLOMATIC DISCUSSION OF THE DRC INTERNAL DIALOGUE AND THE 
INVOLVEMENT OF FOREIGN TROOPS IN DRC, BUT MUGABE BECAME 
INCREASINGLY IRRITATED AS THE CONVERSATION SHIFTED TO THE RECENT 
UN REPORT ON EXPLOITATION OF RESOURCES.  MUGABE DISMISSED THE 
REPORT AS "ABSOLUTE NONSENSE" INSPIRED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT. 
EVERYTHING ZIMBABWE HAD DONE IN THE DRC, HE INSISTED, HAD BEEN 
DONE IN COOPERATION WITH THE KINSHASA GOVERNMENT.  WHEN THE EU 
DELEGATION PRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERNATIONAL ELECTION 
OBSERVERS PARTICIPATING IN ZIMBABWE'S ELECTORAL PROCESS, MUGABE 
LASHED OUT.  HE SAID THE EU SHOULD LEAVE ZIMBABWE ALONE, AS THE 
GOZ COULD RUN ITS OWN ELECTION.  IT DID NOT NEED THE EU'S HELP. 
VISIBLY ANGRY, HE WALKED OUT OF THE MEETING WITHOUT A WORD, 
LEAVING HIS EU INTERLOCUTORS "FLABBERGASTED."  THE EU OFFICIALS 
DID NOT EVEN TRY TO PUT A POSITIVE PUBLIC SPIN ON THE ENCOUNTER 
AND LATER TOLD JOURNALISTS THAT THEY HAD NOT HAD A MEETING OF THE 
MINDS WITH MUGABE AND THAT THE EU WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE OUTCOME 
OF THE ELECTION UNLESS MINIMUM CONDITIONS WERE RESPECTED.  FOR ITS 
PART, THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED PRESS APPLAUDED MUGABE IN BANNER, 
ABOVE-THE-FOLD HEADLINES FOR TELLING OFF THE EU.  END SUMMARY. 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  03539  01 OF 03  261353Z 
 
¶2.  (C) BELGIAN DCM ALEXIS DE CROMBRUGGHE GAVE POLITICAL SECTION 
CHIEF A READOUT OF A DIFFICULT NOVEMBER 23 MEETING IN HARARE 
BETWEEN PRESIDENT MUGABE AND A HIGH-LEVEL EU DELEGATION COMPRISING 
BELGIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTER LOUIS MICHEL, 
EU ENVOY JAVIER SOLANA, COMMISSIONER CHRIS PATTEN, EU SPECIAL 
ENVOY FOR THE GREAT LAKES ALDO AIELLO AND SPAIN'S DIRECTOR-GENERAL 
FOR AFRICA.  CROMBRUGGHE SAID THE DELEGATION MET WITH CIVIL 
SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES AND WITH OPPOSITION LEADER MORGAN 
TSVANGIRAI, BUT THE MEETING WITH MUGABE WAS THE CENTERPIECE OF 
 
SIPDIS 
THEIR ONE-DAY VISIT AND THE ONE WHICH GARNERED THE MOST MEDIA 
ATTENTION. 
 
¶3.  (C) CROMBRUGGHE SAID ONLY THE BELGIAN AMBASSADOR JOINED THE 
FIVE-PERSON EU DELEGATION IN THE MUGABE MEETING.  THE ZIMBABWEAN 
PRESIDENT WAS JOINED BY FOREIGN MINISTER MUDENGE, MFA PERMANENT 
SECRETARY WILLARD CHIWEWE, DEFENSE MINISTER SEKERAMAYI, AND CHIEF 
 
SIPDIS 
OF DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE GENERAL CHEDONDO. 
 
DRC 
--- 
 
¶4.  (C) ACCORDING TO CROMBRUGGHE, MICHEL BEGAN BY SAYING THE MAIN 
PURPOSE OF THE DELEGATION'S VISIT WAS TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENTS IN 
THE DRC, BUT THAT IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID RAISING THE DOMESTIC 
SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE AS WELL.  HIS INTRODUCTORY REMARKS 
APPARENTLY PROVOKED NO NEGATIVE REACTION FROM THE ZIMBABWEAN SIDE, 
AND PRESIDENT MUGABE WAS DIPLOMATIC AND FORTHCOMING AT THE OUTSET. 
MUGABE STAYED TRUE TO FORM BY PROVIDING HIS DETAILED HISTORICAL 
PERSPECTIVE ON ZIMBABWE'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE DRC, EMPHASIZING THAT 
HIS GOVERNMENT HAD BEEN INVITED IN. 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  03539  01 OF 03  261353Z 
 
WITHDRAWAL OF FOREIGN FORCES 
---------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) MUGABE STRESSED THE GOZ'S COMMITMENT TO THE LUSAKA 
PROCESS, BUT WARNED THAT A WITHDRAWAL BY ZIMBABWEAN FORCES NOW 
WOULD CREATE SECURITY PROBLEMS.  THUS ZIMBABWE WOULD WAIT TO 
WITHDRAW UNTIL THE UNITED NATIONS DEPLOYED FULLY.  WHEN SOLANA 
PRESSED HARD FOR THE WITHDRAWAL OF FOREIGN TROOPS, MUGABE SAID 
TROOPS CAN BE WITHDRAWN AT ANY TIME BUT REITERATED THAT THIS STEP 
SHOULD HINGE UPON THE CREATION OF A SUFFICIENTLY SECURE 
ENVIRONMENT.  MICHEL SAID HE WAS NOT SURE THAT MONUC WOULD BE ABLE 
TO DEPLOY THE LARGE NUMBERS DESIRED BY MUGABE BUT THAT HE HOPED 
DDRR COULD PROCEED IN THE MEANTIME.  MUGABE MAINTAINED THAT 
ZIMBABWEAN TROOPS HAVE COMPLIED WITH THE REQUIREMENT TO WITHDRAW 
15 KM FROM THE FRONT LINE, IN CONTRAST TO RWANDA, WHICH HAD MERELY 
REPLACED ITS SOLDIERS WITH FIGHTERS FROM RCD-GOMA.  MUDENGE INSISTED 
THAT ZIMBABWE WOULD NOT MAINTAIN ITS MILITARY PRESENCE IN THE DRC 
ANY LONGER THAN NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE EXPENSE. 
 
INTERNAL DIALOGUE 
----------------- 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1358 
 
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      L-00     AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   PA-00 
      PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    SS-00    STR-00 
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      SAS-00     /007W 
                  ------------------4317A0  261353Z /48 
O 261252Z NOV 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0369 
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
AMEMBASSY OSLO 
AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
AMEMBASSY KINGSTON 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 03 HARARE 003539 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  03539  02 OF 03  261353Z 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 11/26/11 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MUGABE WALKS OUT ON EU TEAM 
 
¶6.  (C) MICHEL REGRETTED THE FAILURE OF THE INITIAL INTERNAL 
DIALOGUE MEETING IN ADDIS ABABA, BUT REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT 
KABILA AND FACILITATOR MASIRE HAD AGREED WITH HIM IN KINSHASA ON 
THE NEED FOR ANOTHER MEETING SOON, BUT ONE THAT WOULD BE PRECEDED 
BY SMALLER, PREPARATORY DISCUSSIONS.  AIELLO SAID THE EU 
RECOGNIZED THAT PRESIDENT KABILA WOULD BE PRESIDENT DURING A 
TRANSITION PERIOD LEADING TO ELECTIONS, BUT NOTED THAT, IN SOME 
COUNTRIES, A TRANSITION PERIOD FOLLOWED AN ELECTION.  PATTEN ADDED 
THAT THERE WAS AGREEMENT WITHIN THE EU THAT KABILA SHOULD LEAD THE 
TRANSITIONAL PERIOD, AND MICHEL SAID HE THOUGHT THE REBELS WOULD 
ACCEPT THIS.  MUGABE ASSERTED THAT PRESIDENT KABILA RISKS BEING 
TOPPLED IF THE TRANSITION PERIOD COMES FIRST, BUT SAID THAT 
DECISION IS UP TO THE CONGOLESE PEOPLE.  HE HOPED THAT MASIRE 
WOULD MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ON THIS POINT. 
 
UN REPORT ON EXPLOITATION OF RESOURCES 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) WHEN MICHEL SOLICITED MUGABE'S COMMENT ON THE RECENT UN 
REPORT ON THE EXPLOITATION OF RESOURCES IN THE DRC, THE 
CONVERSATION BEGAN TO GO DOWNHILL QUICKLY, CROMBRUGGHE REPORTED. 
MUGABE CALLED THE REPORT "ABSOLUTE NONSENSE," SAYING EVERYTHING 
ZIMBABWE HAD DONE IN THE DRC HAD BEEN DONE IN CONSULTATION WITH 
THE KINSHASA GOVERNMENT.  THE DRC GOVERNMENT, HE INSISTED, HAD 
NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT ZIMBABWE'S INVOLVEMENT.  HE DISMISSED THE 
REPORT COMPLETELY, SAYING IT HAD BEEN INSTIGATED BY THE BRITISH. 
THE EU TEAM, MUGABE SAID, WAS PUTTING ITS CREDIBILITY ON THE LINE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  03539  02 OF 03  261353Z 
BY EVEN MENTIONING IT.  MUDENGE ADDED THAT THE REPORT HAD NOT BEEN 
ENDORSED BY THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL.  SOLANA EMPHASIZED THAT THE 
REPORT EXPRESSED THE POSITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.  NO, 
IT DOESN'T, MUGABE REPLIED, IT EXPRESSES ONLY THE POSITION OF THE 
BRITISH GOVERNMENT. 
 
ELECTION OBSERVERS 
------------------ 
 
¶8.  (C) MICHEL THEN RAISED THE ISSUE OF INTERNATIONAL ELECTION 
OBSERVERS, ELICITING A "VERY AGGRESSIVE" REACTION FROM MUGABE, 
ACCORDING TO CROMBRUGGHE.  MUGABE'S RESPONSE WAS ALONG THE LINES 
OF "WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP, WE DON'T WANT YOU TO ORGANIZE OUR 
ELECTIONS.  LEAVE US ALONE."  HE THEN ADDED, SOMEWHAT CRYPTICALLY, 
THAT MARGARET THATCHER WAS "A LADY YOU CAN TALK TO."  MUDENGE 
RAISED A POINT OF ORDER, NOTING THAT THE BELGIANS, IN THE NOTE 
REQUESTING THE MEETING, HAD INDICATED THAT THE DELEGATION ONLY 
INTENDED TO DISCUSS THE DRC.  AT THAT POINT, A VISIBLY IRRITATED 
MUGABE STOOD UP AND LEFT THE ROOM, WITH NARY A WORD OR HANDSHAKE. 
THE EU DELEGATION WAS APPARENTLY "FLABBERGASTED," AND MICHEL 
COMMENTED PRIVATELY TO THE BELGIAN AMBASSADOR THAT MUGABE'S 
REACTION HAD BEEN OVER THE TOP AND IRRATIONAL.  MUDENGE APPEARED 
TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN BY SURPRISE BY HIS BOSS'S UNEXPECTED WITHDRAWAL 
FROM THE ROOM, AND SAID QUICKLY TO THE DELEGATION THAT THE GOZ 
WOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE ARTICLE 96 DIALOGUE.  LATER IN THE DAY, A 
SENIOR MFA OFFICIAL PHONED THE BELGIAN EMBASSY TO CONVEY 
OFFICIALLY THE GOZ'S AGREEMENT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ARTICLE 96 
PROCESS. 
 
PRESS CONFERENCE 
---------------- 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        HARARE  03539  02 OF 03  261353Z 
 
¶9.  (C) CROMBRUGGHE SAID HE HAD ARRANGED A PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE 
VIP DEPARTURE LOUNGE LATER IN THE DAY, BUT MINISTRY OF INFORMATION 
OFFICIALS INITIALLY PROHIBITED THE PARTICIPATION OF JOURNALISTS 
FROM THE INDEPENDENT PRESS.  ONLY AFTER HE INSISTED THAT THEY BE 
ADMITTED AND PERSONALLY ESCORTED THEM FROM A HOLDING ROOM AT THE 
OTHER END OF THE AIRPORT WERE THEY ABLE TO INTERACT WITH MEMBERS 
OF THE DELEGATION.  THE EU OFFICIALS WERE UNUSUALLY CANDID WITH 
THE REPORTERS, SAYING THAT THE TALKS WITH MUGABE HAD BEEN "VERY 
FRANK AND VERY DIFFICULT."  SOLANA TOLD JOURNALISTS THAT "WE PUT 
IT CLEARLY TO HIM THAT UNLESS THEY COMPLY WITH THE MINIMUM 
CONDITIONS FOR THE RUNNING OF THE ELECTIONS, IT WILL BE VERY 
DIFFICULT FOR THE ELECTION RESULTS TO BE RECOGNIZED BY THE EU." 
MICHEL SAID THE TEAM WANTED TO HAVE A FRANK DISCUSSION WITH MUGABE 
BUT THAT "TODAY, IT WAS NOT EASY TO DO."  PATTEN ADDED THAT "ALL I 
CAN SAY IS WE DID NOT HAVE A MEETING OF THE MINDS WITH PRESIDENT 
MUGABE" AND THAT THE EU WOULD "INSIST ON THE BASIC MINIMUM 
STANDARDS FOR CLEAN ELECTIONS." 
 
¶10.  (U) NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED MEDIA PRAISED 
MUGABE FOR STANDING UP TO HIS INTERLOCUTORS, INDICATED BY THE 
ABOVE-THE-FOLD HEADLINE IN NOVEMBER 24 EDITION OF "THE HERALD" -- 
"PRESIDENT TELLS EU OFF."   THE ARTICLE REPORTED THAT MUGABE HAD 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ1362 
 
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      L-00     AC-01    NSAE-00  NSCE-00  OIC-02   OMB-01   PA-00 
      PM-00    PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00    SS-00    STR-00 
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                  ------------------4317B1  261354Z /48 
O 261252Z NOV 01 
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0370 
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 
AMEMBASSY OSLO 
AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 
AMEMBASSY KINGSTON 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 03 HARARE 003539 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
BRUSSELS ALSO FOR USEU 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        HARARE  03539  03 OF 03  261354Z 
E.O. 12958: DECL. 11/26/11 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT MUGABE WALKS OUT ON EU TEAM 
 
TOLD THE DELEGATION TO "KEEP OUT OF ZIMBABWE'S AFFAIRS" AND THAT 
HE HAD DISMISSED AS "ABSOLUTELY NONSENSICAL" THE UN SECURITY 
COUNCIL'S RECENT REPORT ON ZIMBABWE'S EXPLOITATION OF DRC 
RESOURCES.  AT A PUBLIC EVENT FOLLOWING THE FATEFUL MEETING, 
MUGABE TOLD THE ASSEMBLED CROWD THAT THE EU SHOULD KEEP OUT OF 
ZIMBABWE, AS "SOME OF THEM WERE OUR FORMER COLONIZERS.  WE HAVE 
ENOUGH EXPERIENCE IN HOLDING ELECTIONS AND WE DO NOT NEED THEIR 
ASSISTANCE." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶11.  (C) PRESIDENT MUGABE'S ANGRY REACTION APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN 
DISPROPORTIONATE, AND SUGGESTS THAT HE IS NOT INTERESTED IN 
ENGAGING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON HOW TO EXTRICATE ZIMBABWE 
FROM ITS CURRENT CRISIS, IF SUCH ENGAGEMENT IMPLIES ANY ACCEPTANCE 
OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS COUNTRY'S PROBLEMS. THE NOVEMBER 23 
EXCHANGE WILL LIKELY WORSEN AN ALREADY STRAINED EU-ZIMBABWE 
RELATIONSHIP, BUT MUGABE SEEMS INCREASINGLY WILLING TO WAG HIS 
FINGER -- WHICHEVER FINGER -- AT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. 
MUDENGE, WHO IS OFTEN ONE OF THE GOZ'S MOST STRIDENT VOICES, WAS 
APPARENTLY NONPLUSSED BY HIS BOSS'S BEHAVIOR, AND THE GOZ'S QUICK 
ACCEPTANCE OF THE ARTICLE 96 DIALOGUE SO SOON AFTER THE 
UNFORTUNATE MEETING WAS A CLEAR ATTEMPT AT DAMAGE CONTROL.  WE ARE 
COMING TO THE CONCLUSION, HOWEVER, THAT AS LONG AS MUGABE REMAINS 
THE GOZ'S ONLY REAL DECISION-MAKER, WE ARE UNLIKELY TO SEE MUCH 
PROGRESS ON THE ISSUES OF CONCERN TO US, THE EU, THE COMMONWEALTH, 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  03539  03 OF 03  261354Z 
AND ZIMBABWE'S NEIGHBORS. 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
>