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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 004613 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR AF/E, DRL/BL, AND EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2012 
TAGS: PREL ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER IT SADC ITPREL SADC
SUBJECT: GOI:  IF WE SANCTION ZIMBABWE, WHY NOT ERITREA? 
 
REF: A. STATE 175001 
 
     ¶B. ROME 3604 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: POLMINCOUNS T. COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 
1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  04613  01 OF 02  250026Z 
¶1.    (U)  THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST; PLEASE SEE PARA 9. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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¶2.    (C) POLMINCOUNS DELIVERED TO MFA ASSISTANT 
SECRETARY-EQUIVALENT CABRAS REF A DEMARCHE ENJOINING THE EU 
 
SIPDIS 
NOT TO INVITE ZIMBABWE TO ITS FALL MEETING WITH THE SOUTHERN 
AFRICA DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC).  NOTING THAT THE EU WAS 
CONSIDERING CHANGING VENUES AS A COMPROMISE, CABRAS TOOK THE 
OPPORTUNITY TO OPEN A DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY, 
USING ERITREA AS AN EXAMPLE.  THE GOI WOULD LIKE WASHINGTON'S 
INPUT ON HOW TO DEAL WITH DICTATORSHIPS LIKE ASMARA.  CABRAS 
APPEARS TO BELIEVE THAT SANCTIONS AND CRITICISM LEAD TO 
CONFRONTATION, WHICH CAN BREAK DOWN COMMUNICATION.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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THE AFRICAN CONTEXT:  SANCTIONS LEAD TO CONFRONTATION 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶3.    (C) ON SEPTEMBER 18, POLMINCOUNS DELIVERED REF A 
DEMARCHE ASKING THE EU TO EXCLUDE ZIMBABWE FROM ITS NOVEMBER 
MEETING WITH SADC TO BRUNO CABRAS, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL FOR 
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICAN AFFAIRS.  THIS EXCHANGE FOLLOWED A JULY 
17 DISCUSSION ON THE SAME SUBJECT BETWEEN POLOFF AND MFA 
OFFICE DIRECTOR MARIO BOLOGNA (REF B).  LIKE BOLOGNA, CABRAS 
MADE NO PROMISES. 
 
¶4.    (C) AFTER STATING THAT THE EU MIGHT HOLD THE MEETING IN 
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PAGE 03        ROME  04613  01 OF 02  250026Z 
MAPUTO INSTEAD OF EUROPE IN ORDER TO PREVENT MUGABE FROM 
USING IT TO LEGITIMIZE HIMSELF IN THE WEST, CABRAS ARGUED 
THAT ZIMBABWE "SHOULD BE SEEN IN THE AFRICAN CONTEXT."  HE 
NOTED THAT THE ZIMBABWE CRISIS HAS SPARKED AN AFRICAN 
CONFRONTATION WITH THE WEST IN MULTILATERAL FORA.  CABRAS 
CITED GABONESE PRESIDENT BONGO'S 9/17 UNGA STATEMENT CALLING 
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NOT TO IMPOSE SANCTIONS ON 
COUNTRIES NOT YET ABLE TO LIVE UP TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE 
NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD).  CABRAS 
SAID THAT NOT INVITING ZIMBABWE TO THE SADC MEETING WOULD BE 
VIEWED AS A SANCTION, AND THAT AFRICAN COUNTRIES WORRIED THAT 
SANCTIONS WOULD ESTABLISH A PRECEDENT THAT COULD BE LATER 
APPLIED TO THEM.  UNDER THE EU-ACP COTONOU AGREEMENT, 
DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE, AND HUMAN RIGHTS WERE BASIC 
AGREED VALUES, BUT TO IMPOSE IMMEDIATE COMPLIANCE WOULD BE 
DIFFICULT.  AFRICANS SEE SANCTIONS AS THE WRONG APPROACH AND 
TEND TO RALLY AROUND SANCTIONED COUNTRIES. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
"DO WE GO ABOUT BASHING ALL THE DICTATORS ON THE HEAD?" 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶5.    (C) CABRAS THEN OPENED A BROAD-RANGING DISCUSSION ON 
HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY.  HE ASKED, PERHAPS RHETORICALLY, "SHOULD 
WE MOVE TO OPEN OTHER FRONTS (SIC)?  SHOULD WE SANCTION OTHER 
COUNTRIES?  DO WE GO ABOUT BASHING ALL THE DICTATORS ON THE 
HEAD?  THIS IS THE POINT TO CONVEY TO WASHINGTON."  HE WANTED 
TO KNOW IF WASHINGTON WOULD SUPPORT SIMILAR "SANCTIONS" ON A 
COUNTRY LIKE ERITREA, WHICH HAS NOT HELD EVEN PARLIAMENTARY 
ELECTIONS IN TEN YEARS AND IMPRISONS ITS POLITICAL OPPONENTS. 
 ON THE OTHER HAND, THE GOI DOES NOT WANT TO JEOPARDIZE THE 
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PAGE 04        ROME  04613  01 OF 02  250026Z 
PEACE PROCESS WITH ETHIOPIA AND, ACCORDING TO CNN, THERE ARE 
TWO AL-QAEDA BASES IN ERITREA THAT HAD TO BE CONSIDERED 
"BEFORE YOU START TO DESTABILIZE." 
 
¶6.    (C) POLMINCOUNS REPLIED THAT THE USG BELIEVES THAT 
COMMUNICATION WITH A GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE CUT OFF ONLY IN 
EXTREME CASES IN WHICH OTHER MEANS HAVE BEEN EXHAUSTED AND WE 
MUST SHOW PEOPLE THAT THEIR LEADER HAS NO INTERNATIONAL 
LEGITIMACY.  CALLING A REFUSAL TO MEET WITH A GOVERNMENT A 
SANCTION IS INACCURATE.  THE OAU AND SADC ARE INCLINED TO 
CHALLENGE MOVES LIKE THIS, BUT IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE TO HOLD 
SADC MEMBERS TO THEIR STATED VALUES.  FINALLY, IT IS 
SYMBOLICALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE EU TO EXCLUDE ZIMBABWE, AND 
THERE ARE SEVERAL ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO GET THE WORK DONE. 
 
¶7.    (C) CABRAS CONTINUED UNFAZED:  MUGABE HAS BEEN 
REPRESSIVE FOR 22 YEARS.  IF WE EXCLUDE ZIMBABWE NOW, PEOPLE 
WILL ASK WHY.  POLMINCOUNS AGREED THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE 
COMPLETELY EQUITABLE.  CABRAS REITERATED THAT HE WANTED 
"IDEAS ABOUT ERITREA FROM YOUR ADMINISTRATION."  THE COUNTRY 
IS STRATEGICALLY LOCATED AND COOPERATIVE IN THE PEACE PROCESS 
BUT REACTS NEGATIVELY TO PRESSURE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND 
DEMOCRACY.  POLMINCOUNS SAID THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN ANY 
INDICATION THAT THE USG HAD THE SAME LEVEL OF CONCERN ABOUT 
THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN ERITREA 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ5627 
 
PAGE 01        ROME  04613  02 OF 02  250033Z 
ACTION AF-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   AID-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  SRPP-00  EB-00    EUR-00 
      VC-00    H-01     TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    L-00     VCE-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   TRSE-00 
      T-00     USIE-00  PMB-00   PRM-00   DRL-02   G-00     SAS-00 
        /007W 
                  ------------------EC54D4  250033Z /21 
R 231539Z SEP 02 
FM AMEMBASSY ROME 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5951 
INFO EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE 
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004613 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR AF/E, DRL/BL, AND EUR/WE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/20/2012 
TAGS: PREL ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER ECIN PHUM KDEM ZI ER IT SADC ITPREL SADC
SUBJECT: GOI:  IF WE SANCTION ZIMBABWE, WHY NOT ERITREA? 
 
AS IN ZIMBABWE. 
 
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COMMENT:  WHY ERITREA? 
---------------------- 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        ROME  04613  02 OF 02  250033Z 
¶8.    (C) ERITREA WOULD HARDLY APPEAR TO BE THE SECOND-WORST 
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSER ON THE CONTINENT, BUT CABRAS' RESPONSE 
APPEARS BOTH A DEFLECTION OF AN UNWELCOME DEMARCHE AND AN 
ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN INFORMATION ON ERITREA POLICY.  AS A FORMER 
COLONY OF ITALY, ERITREA IS MORE ON THE RADAR SCREEN IN ROME 
THAN IS ZIMBABWE.  IN ADDITION, THE GOI IS PEEVED BECAUSE IN 
OCTOBER 2001, THE GOE EXPELLED THE GOI AMBASSADOR IN ASMARA 
AFTER HE PROTESTED (ON BEHALF OF THE EU) A NUMBER OF 
POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED ARRESTS.  THE GOE CLAIMED HE WAS 
INVOLVED IN ESPIONAGE.  TEN DAYS LATER, WHEN AMEMBASSY ASMARA 
ISSUED ITS OWN CRITICISM OF THE ARRESTS, TWO LOCAL U.S. 
EMBASSY EMPLOYEES WERE ARRESTED ON SIMILAR CHARGES.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
¶9.    (C) ACTION REQUEST:  PLEASE PROVIDE UPDATE WE CAN SHARE 
WITH CABRAS ON THE USG APPROACH TOWARD ERITREA, PARTICULARLY 
WITH REGARD TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY. 
SEMBLER 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
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 2002ROME04613 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL