The Daily News said travel restrictions against President Robert Mugabe and his lieutenants were working contrary to reports by the State-owned media but President Mugabe had only been allowed into the United States because he was on United Nations business.
“That is the only reason why Mugabe and his retinue were able to travel to the US, in spite of the ‘smart sanctions’ imposed on them by the US administration under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act.
“If they had landed in Washington, DC or Seattle, in Washington State, on a shopping spree, it is doubtful that they would have been allowed to get off their plane.
“But the government propaganda would have us believe that the government is winning its war against its detractors, that the sanctions are ineffective and that Zimbabwe is as squeaky clean, diplomatically, as it was before the bloodshed that began with the farm invasions of 2000 and culminated with the controversial presidential election last March. All this misinformation may fool some people some of the time, but it won’t fool all the people all the time. . . .,” the paper said.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE1358, MEDIA REPORT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS EFFECTIVE;
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS HARARE 001358
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND
SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR DIPALMA, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR
JENDAYI FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS EFFECTIVE;
HARARE
¶1. Under headline “Government in a state of denial of
reality” the independent daily “The Daily News”
dedicated its Tuesday 4 editorial to declaring that the
travel restrictions imposed on Mugabe’s government are
effective. Excerpts:
¶2. “The government’s attempts to pretend that the
whole world still loves it in spite of its violation of
its citizens’ human rights are now bordering on the
absurd. Last month, President Mugabe led a high-
powered delegation to New York to attend a United
Nations conference on children. Under the UN
headquarters agreement the U.S. is obliged to let any
head of state into the UN building unless they are
banned or suspended from the UN. That is the only
reason why Mugabe and his retinue were able to travel
to the US, in spite of the ‘smart sanctions’ imposed on
them by the US administration under the Zimbabwe
Democracy and Economic Recovery Act. If they had
landed in Washington, DC or Seattle, in Washington
State, on a shopping spree, it is doubtful that they
would have been allowed to get off their plane. But
the government propaganda would have us believe that
the government is winning its war against its
detractors, that the sanctions are ineffective and that
Zimbabwe is as squeaky clean, diplomatically, as it was
before the bloodshed that began with the farm invasions
of 2000 and culminated with the controversial
presidential election last March. All this
misinformation may fool some people some of the time,
but it won’t fool all the people all the time. . . .”
SULLIVAN
(27 VIEWS)
