Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai highlighted the need for renewed international assistance in the form of food, medicine, electricity, fuel and financial investment in his inaugural speech at the signing of the Global Political Agreement in September 2008.
In an attempt to bridge the political divide, Tsvangirai carefully avoided blaming President Robert Mugabe or the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front directly for the country’s troubles and even quoted from Mugabe’s independence speech when he said: “We must turn our swords into ploughshares”.
According to United States ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee, Tsvangirai’s speech was in line with what he had told him the previous day that he had signed the GPA because of the dire and immediate plight facing Zimbabweans.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08HARARE833, MUGABE SPEECH DAMPENS EXCITEMENT OF SIGNING
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Reference ID |
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VZCZCXRO3132
OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0833/01 2591558
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 151558Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3436
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2291
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2411
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0930
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1688
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2044
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2465
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4897
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1560
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000833
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR G. GARLAND
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS
STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/15/2018
SUBJECT: MUGABE SPEECH DAMPENS EXCITEMENT OF SIGNING
CEREMONY
Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)
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SUMMARY
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¶1. (SBU) President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai
delivered contrasting speeches following today’s signing of a
power-sharing accord between ZANU-PF and the two MDC
opposition factions. Tsvangirai stressed the need for
governmental unity and immediate food and medical assistance
to Zimbabwe’s most desperate citizens, while Mugabe laid the
blame for Zimbabwe’s struggles on Britain and the U.S. and
heaped praise on South Africa’s Mbeki. The audience was
generally supportive of both, but booing could be heard
during some of Mugabe’s more outrageous statements. END
SUMMARY.
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Tsvangirai’s Speech Takes the High Road
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¶2. (SBU) Newly-anointed Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai
delivered a statesmanlike address to the assembled audience
of regional heads-of-state, party heavyweights, foreign
diplomats, and local press who bore witness to today’s
signing of a new power-sharing agreement between Mugabe’s
ruling ZANU-PF party and the opposition MDC. Tsvangirai
delivered a well-crafted speech stressing the need for
governmental unity and service to Zimbabweans in need. He
highlighted the urgent need for renewed international
assistance in the form of food, medicine, electricity,
gasoline, and financial investment. This was consistent with
what he privately told the Ambassador yesterday when he
explained that his rationale for signing was the dire and
immediate plight facing Zimbabweans.
¶3. (SBU) In an attempt to bridge the political divide,
Tsvangirai was careful to avoid blaming Mugabe or ZANU-PF
directly for the country’s troubles and never raised the
issue of corruption or patronage. Magnanimously, he even
quoted from Mugabe’s independence speech at Lancaster House
in 1980 when he said, “We must turn our swords into
ploughshares.” Tsvangirai’s speech was well-received by the
audience.
¶4. (SBU) MDC faction leader Arthur Mutumbara also spoke of
the need for unity and service to the people of Zimbabwe,
before digressing into a near rant about the need for a
Zimbabwean economy based on advanced transformation and value
added, rather than primary materials.
———————————–
Mugabe’s Speech Took the Other Road
———————————–
¶5. (SBU) Mugabe’s speech seized on the opportunity to tell
Africa’s elite and the international audience that continued
British and American interference through sanctions and a
desire to control Zimbabwe’s natural resources brought about
the need for this political arrangement. He also was
effusive in his praise for the role played by South Africa’s
Thabo Mbeki as a mediator to the agreement. In contrast to
Tsvangirai’s concise 13 minute speech, Mugabe’s lasted 51
minutes. He shifted from the well-rehearsed–his lengthy
discussion of Zimbabwe’s early days of independence and call
for African unity–to the impromptu–his rail against a
British desire for “regime change.” Later in the speech he
charged the opposition with using violence during the
HARARE 00000833 002 OF 002
election, at which point loud boos could be heard. Mugabe
quickly backtracked and explained that he was refering to
Africa’s history of violent elections. Mbeki was clearly
uncomfortable during much of Mugabe’s speech, while
Tsvangirai looked down or rested his face in his hand.
¶6. (SBU) Of concern was that Mugabe addressed Tsvangirai as
“Mr. Tsvangirai” in contrast to the title of Prime Minister
that South African President Mbeki and Tanzanian President
Kikwete had used. Additionally, Mugabe spoke of the need for
the new ministers to rely on the experience of ZANU-PF
officials when assuming their new positions.
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COMMENT
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¶7. (C) Unlike Mugabe’s famous 1980 speech, his address today
didn’t seek to find common ground. More indicative of
Mugabe’s intentions, though, will be the still unannounced
division of ministries. We are hearing that ZANU-PF is still
fighting for all the most important ministries, including
defense, home affairs (police), and finance. Should that
happen, it would belie this deal’s branding as one of “power
sharing.” END COMMENT
MCGEE
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