The Japanese government was relieved when it learnt that President Robert Mugabe, who was under siege in his country after learning that he had been beaten by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, would not attend the Tokyo International Conference on African Development and quickly informed the United States.
The US had been pressuring Japan to stop Mugabe from attending but Japan said it could not do so because it had invited all African Heads of State and could not single Mugabe out.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08TOKYO1381, MOFA CONFIRMS MUGABE NOT COMING TO TICAD
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO8409
PP RUEHAG RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKO #1381 1410912
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 200912Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4396
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 3439
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA PRIORITY 7903
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA PRIORITY 0285
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE PRIORITY 1584
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO PRIORITY 8494
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 3331
RUEHRN/USMISSION UN ROME PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 9910
C O N F I D E N T I A L TOKYO 001381
SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF/S AND EAP/J
STATE PASS USAID AFRICA/AA KALMQUIST AND ODP NNICHOLSON
NSC FOR KTONG AND PBROWN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2023
SUBJECT: MOFA CONFIRMS MUGABE NOT COMING TO TICAD
REF: A. TOKYO 286 B. TOKYO 93 C. TOKYO 100
Classified By: Ambassador J. Thomas Schieffer. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).
(C) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) International
Cooperation Director General Koro Bessho telephoned
AID Counselor May 20 to confirm Zimbabwe President
Robert Mugabe will not attend the May 28-30 Tokyo
International Conference on African Development
(TICAD). Separately, MOFA’s Senior Coordinator for
TICAD Takuya Sasayama told AID Counselor the Japanese
Embassy in Washington had informed MOFA D/F Fore would
not be leading the U.S. delegation but would be
replaced by a senior USAID official.
SCHIEFFER
(17 VIEWS)
