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RUEHPA RUEHQU RUEHRN RUEHTRO RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0886/01 1821653
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301653Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8116
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000886 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM ZI CA
SUBJECT:  CANADA REJECTS ZIMBABWE'S ELECTION OUTCOME, IMPOSES NEW 
RESTRICTIONS 
 
REF:  OTTAWA 874 
 
¶1.  (U)  Prime Minister Stephen Harper on June 27 called Zimbabwe's 
presidential runoff election "stolen" and expressed Canada's refusal 
to accept their results.  (Full text of the Prime Minister's 
statement in para 2.)  One June 29, Foreign Minister David Emerson 
announced further restrictions on Canada's relations with Zimbabwe, 
including tighter travel bans and calls for voluntary divestiture by 
Canadian companies operating in Zimbabwe.  (Full text in para 3.) 
 
 
¶2.  Text of statement from the Prime Minister's Office 
Quote 
 
CANADA REJECTS ZIMBABWE'S STOLEN ELECTION 
 
June 27, 2008 
Ottawa, Ontario 
 
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement 
rejecting Zimbabwe's presidential runoff election of June 27, 2008 
as illegitimate: 
 
"Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, withdrew from the 
presidential runoff because he considered the election environment 
to have been contaminated by violence and intimidation instigated by 
President Robert Mugabe and his government. Canada agrees fully with 
that assessment. 
 
"Because no opposition candidate was fully engaged in the runoff 
election, Canada refuses to accept that the results are an 
indication of the will of the Zimbabwean people. This 'election' was 
stolen. 
 
"We call on the Government of Zimbabwe and the Movement for 
Democratic Change to work with each other and with regional and 
international mediators toward a negotiated political settlement to 
end this crisis, which continues to damage peace, security and 
stability in Zimbabwe and the wider region. 
 
"Any such settlement should respect the results of the March 29 
elections. We stand with the United Nations Security Council, which 
declared in its Presidential Statement of June 23 that, because of 
the violence inflicted by the Mugabe government, the June 27 
elections cannot be considered by the international community as a 
credible expression of democratic will. 
 
"In light of these negative developments, Canada is scrutinizing all 
aspects of its relationship with the Government of Zimbabwe and will 
bring in further measures as the situation develops. The measures 
may include travel and study bans. 
 
"We support the call for the UN Security Council to continue its 
discussions on Zimbabwe." 
 
End quote 
 
¶3.  (U)  Text of statement by Foreign Minister Emerson 
Begin quote 
 
June 29, 2008 
 
CANADA IMPOSES IMMEDIATE RESTRICTIONS ON RELATIONS WITH ZIMBABWE 
 
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today 
condemned the illegitimate and illegal actions of the government of 
Robert Mugabe in the conduct of Zimbabwe's June 27, 2008, election, 
and has rejected the results of this "election." As a result, Canada 
will immediately put in place measures designed to seriously 
restrict its relationship with the Government of Zimbabwe. 
 
"The Government of Zimbabwe's systematic use of violence and 
intimidation represents a grave violation of human rights and 
democratic principles," said Minister Emerson. "The citizens of 
Zimbabwe have been denied the opportunity to shape their future 
through free and fair elections, and they remain in constant danger 
of intimidation, injury and loss of life. Canada does not consider 
the result of the June 27 election to be, by any reasonable standard 
of democracy, a credible outcome. This 'election' is illegitimate 
and will not be accepted by the Government of Canada." 
 
The Government of Canada will immediately put in place a series of 
measures to severely restrict its relationship with the Government 
of Zimbabwe, and to send a message of solidarity to the people of 
Qof Zimbabwe, and to send a message of solidarity to the people of 
Zimbabwe and convey our rejection of the actions of a desperate and 
illegitimate regime. The following is an initial series of measures 
Canada is undertaking: 
 
Q         Canada will impose restrictions on travel, work and study 
on senior Zimbabwean government, military and police officials and 
their families. 
 
OTTAWA 00000886  002 OF 002 
 
 
Q         Canada will summon the Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Canada to 
convey messages to her home government. 
Q         Canada reconfirms its long-standing policy against 
exporting military goods to Zimbabwe. 
Q         The Government of Canada will not allow any aircraft 
registered in Zimbabwe to land in, or to fly over, Canada. 
 
The Government of Canada encourages Canadian companies to 
voluntarily divest from Zimbabwe. Canada will continue to provide 
humanitarian assistance to those in need in Zimbabwe through trusted 
Canadian and international partners. 
 
"Canada is working with its partners in the G8 and elsewhere to 
ensure a concerted international approach to dealing with the 
flagrant abuse of the democratic process in Zimbabwe. The current 
government of Zimbabwe is illegitimate in the eyes of the 
international community. We call upon the United Nations Security 
Council and the African Union to condemn the election as 
illegitimate and to take further measures," added Minister Emerson. 
 
Canada commends the work of regional election observers in Zimbabwe, 
and notes in particular the interim report of the Pan African 
Parliament Election Observation Mission, released today, which 
stated that the elections had been marred by high levels of 
intimidation, violence, displacement of people, abductions and loss 
of life. It concluded that the elections were not free, fair, or 
credible. 
 
The Minister further stressed that the Government of Canada is fully 
behind the people of Zimbabwe who have shown courage and 
determination in these difficult times. 
 
End quote 
WILKINS