VZCZCXRO8695
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0509 1651232
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 131232Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3021
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1310

UNCLAS HARARE 000509 
 
AIDAC 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DCHA/AA FOR MIKE HESS 
AFR/AA FOR KATE ALMQUIST AND FRANKLIN MOORE 
AFR/SA FOR ELOKEN, LDOBBINS, JKOLE 
DCHA/OFDA FOR KLUU, ACONVERY, TDENYSENKO, LTHOMAS 
DCHA/FFP FOR JBORNS, JDWORKEN, LPETERSON, ASINK 
PRETORIA FOR JWESSEL, GJUSTE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PHUM PGOV PREL ZI
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PROTESTS FOOD THEFT AND TREATMENT OF U.S. 
DIPLOMATS 
 
REF: HARARE 493 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY:  On June 10 Ambassador McGee and USAID Director 
Karen Freeman called upon Ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent 
Secretary Joey Bimha.  The agenda included three points: 1) to 
protest the treatment of U.S. diplomats during a recent 
confrontation with the police in Bindura; 2) to clarify the 
requirement that diplomats inform the Ministry prior to travel 
beyond 40km of the capitol; and 3) to protest the theft of 20 MT of 
USG humanitarian food commodities in the Marange District of 
Manicaland on June 6.  While the meeting did secure the Minister's 
agreement that diplomats are free to travel without notification to 
the MFA and without receiving permission, the Minister denied any 
mistreatment of diplomats and claimed no knowledge of the food 
theft.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (U) On the issue of the detention and inappropriate treatment of 
Embassy personnel the Minister disputed the Ambassador's version of 
events (Ref).  He said an initial detention in Bindura was to 
protect Embassy staff from a crowd that was angry at the staff's 
efforts to campaign for the MDC and distribute money.  He denied the 
length of the subsequent detention in Mazowe, the disabling of the 
Embassy car, and the physical abuse of Embassy personnel.  Bimha 
acknowledged that diplomats were free to travel, but said, citing 
the Vienna Convention, they could not interfere in Zimbabwe's 
internal affairs. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Ambassador raised the Government of Zimbabwe's (GOZ) 
requirement that notice was required for travel more than 40 
kilometers outside of the capital Harare (which has been interpreted 
by the police as a requirement for a letter of permission), and 
reminded Permanent Secretary (PS) Bimha of a May 2006 GOZ diplomatic 
note that said notice of travel was a formality not a requirement. 
PS Bimha acknowledged that permission was not necessary for travel 
and that U.S. diplomats should not be required by police to produce 
any documentation of their travel. "If this is happening," he said, 
"it is unfortunate and we will discuss with the police."  He noted 
that it was his responsibility to clarify this with the authorities 
and that he would do so. (COMMENT:  The PS's tenor provided no 
assurance that these intrusions would not be repeated.  He referred 
obliquely to past incidents involving abuses of Zimbabwean diplomats 
in the U.S. but would not elaborate.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶4.  (U) The Ambassador provided Bimha with details of the June 6 
theft of 20 MT of USG food assistance by war vets, military, GOZ 
officials and ZANU-PF party supporters in the town of Bambazonke in 
eastern Zimbabwe.  Bimha seemed not to understand the term "war vet" 
and disclaimed knowledge of the existence of the town in which the 
incident occurred.  He said that he had requested a report on the 
incident and would let us know what he found out. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Bimha treated the meeting with the Ambassador as 
an inconvenience.  He was unwilling to acknowledge the truth of the 
detention of June 7 and seemed unconcerned about the theft of food 
on June 6.  While he was forced to concede that the Vienna 
Convention provides for unrestricted diplomatic travel, he gave no 
indication that a concerted effort will be made to inform police and 
other authorities around the country that they should allow 
diplomats freedom of movement.  END COMMENT. 
 
MCGEE