Southern African Development Community foreign and defence ministers had to bulldoze Zimbabwe to reform the organ on politics, defence and security into a troika.
The organ had been dysfunctional since its formation largely because of a disagreement between President Robert Mugabe who was the chair and South African President Nelson Mandela who chaired SADC over whether the organ was subordinate to the SADC chairman or was autonomous.
The ministers had to bulldoze Zimbabwe Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge to agree that the organ becomes subordinate to the SADC chair.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 00GABORONE5265, BREAKTHROUGH FOR SADC ON REFORMING POLITICAL
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Reference ID |
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Released |
Classification |
Origin |
P 241602Z NOV 00
FM AMEMBASSY GABORONE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5856
INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 005265
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/05
SUBJECT: BREAKTHROUGH FOR SADC ON REFORMING POLITICAL
ORGAN?
REF: (A) GABORONE 2630, (B) PRETORIA 6497, (C) MBABANE
1670
(U) CLASSIFIED BY POL/ECON CHIEF MICHAEL MORROW, REASON
1.5 (B) AND (D).
——-
SUMMARY
——-
¶1. (C) SADC FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS HAVE REACHED
CONSENSUS ON REFORMING THE LONG-MORIBUND SADC ORGAN ON
POLITICS, DEFENSE AND SECURITY, FM MERAFHE TOLD US. THE
ORGAN HAS BEEN LARGELY DYSFUNCTIONAL SINCE ITS CREATION
IN 1996, DUE TO A DISPUTE OVER LINES OF AUTHORITY
BETWEEN IT AND SADC PROPER THAT PITTED ORGAN CHAIRMAN
ROBERT MUGABE AGAINST 1996-99 SADC CHAIRMAN NELSON
MANDELA. ACCORDING TO MERAFHE, THE SADC FOREIGNQ
MINISTERS MET IN HARARE NOVEMBER 23 AND AGREED ON A
REFORM PLAN THAT CLEARLY SUBORDINATES THE ORGAN TO THE
SADC CHAIRMAN AND ESTABLISHES A TROIKA CHAIRMANSHIP OF
THE ORGAN. THIS AGREEMENT WAS ACHIEVED ONLY AFTER
CONSIDERABLE PRESSURE WAS PUT ON ZIMBABWE, WHICH HAD
LONG OPPOSED THE REFORM PLAN, MERAFHE SAID. SADC HEADS
OF STATE MUST NOW RATIFY THE PLAN, WHICH MERAFHE EXPECTS
TO HAPPEN AT AN EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT WITHIN THE NEXT SIX
MONTHS. THIS REFORM, IF RATIFIED, WOULD BE A CLEAR STEP
FORWARD IN SADC’S EFFORTS TO DEVELOP A SOUND REGIONAL
SECURITY ARCHITECTURE. HOWEVER, THE ULTIMATE
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ORGAN WILL LARGELY DEPEND ON THE
EXTENT TO WHICH SADC’S DIVERSE MEMBERS CAN DEVELOP A
COMMON SET OF VALUES IN THEIR APPROACH TO CONFLICT
MANAGEMENT. END SUMMARY.
——————————————— ———-
SADC MINISTERS AGREE TO REFORM POLITICAL/SECURITY ORGAN
——————————————— ———-
¶2. (C) FOREIGN MINISTER MERAFHE TOLD AMBASSADOR
NOVEMBER 24 THAT AN IMPORTANT NEW DEVELOPMENT HAD
OCCURRED DURING HIS MEETING THE DAY BEFORE WITH A
GROUPING OF OTHER SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
(SADC) FOREIGN AND DEFENSE MINISTERS IN HARARE. THE
MINISTERS PRESENT (FROM AT LEAST 10 OF THE 14 MEMBER
STATES — MAURITIUS, ZAMBIA, SEYCHELLES, AND POSSIBLY
DRC WERE NOT PRESENT) REACHED CONSENSUS ON A PLAN FOR
REFORMING THE STRUCTURE OF SADC’S ORGAN FOR POLITICS,
DEFENSE AND SECURITY. THE PLAN FOLLOWED THE OUTLINE OF
THE AGREEMENT REACHED BY SADC FOREIGN AND DEFENSE
MINISTERS IN MBABANE IN OCTOBER 1999: THAT THE ORGAN IS
INDEED A PART OF SADC AND SHOULD REPORT TO THE SADC
CHAIRMAN; AND THAT THE ORGAN’S CHAIRMANSHIP (HELD BY
MUGABE SINCE THE ORGAN’S CREATION IN 1996) SHOULD BE
TRANSFORMED INTO AN ANNUALLY ROTATING TROIKA. (COMMENT:
ZIMBABWE FOREIGN MINISTER HAD SIGNED ON TO THE MBABANE
COMMUNIQUE, BUT SUBSEQUENT BACKSLIDING THREW THE ORGAN
REFORM ISSUE INTO QUESTION. SEE REFTELS. END COMMENT).
¶3. (C) THE HARARE CONSENSUS, PROVIDED IT HOLDS, WOULD
OPEN THE DOOR TO CLEARING UP A PROBLEM THAT HAS
BEDEVILED SADC FOR FOUR YEARS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE
ORGAN HAS HAD A DYSFUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH SADC
ITSELF. THE CRUX OF THE MATTER HAS BEEN SHARP
DISAGREEMENT OVER WHETHER THE ORGAN SHOULD BE
SUBORDINATE TO THE SADC CHAIRMAN OR AUTONOMOUS FROM IT.
THIS DISPUTE LARGELY PITTED ORGAN CHAIRMAN ROBERT MUGABE
AGAINST NELSON MANDELA, WHO HELD THE SADC CHAIRMANSHIP
FROM 1996-99. THE MOST WELL KNOW CONTROVERSY
SURROUNDING THE ORGAN WAS THE UNRESOLVED DEBATE OVER
WHETHER THE ORGAN (OR FOR THAT MATTER, SADC ITSELF) EVER
FORMALLY ENDORSED THE DEPLOYMENT OF ZIMBABWEAN, NAMIBIAN
AND ANGOLAN TROOPS (THE SO-CALLED “SADC FORCES”) TO THE
DRC IN AUGUST 1998.
———————
TWISTING HARARE’S ARM
———————
¶4. (C) MERAFHE SINGLED OUT ZIMBABWE AS THE MAIN
STUMBLING BLOCK AT THE HARARE MINISTERIAL. HE SAID
ZIMBABWE WAS RELUCTANT TO GO ALONG WITH THE REFORM PLAN
UNTIL HE, ALONG WITH SOUTH AFRICAN FM ZUMA, “HAMMERED”
AWAY AT ZIMBABWEAN FM MUDENGE UNTIL “HE WAS DISABUSED OF
HIS NOTIONS.” MERAFHE (PROTECT) FURTHER NOTED THAT HE,
ALONG WITH THE OTHER MINISTERS WHO WERE PRESENT, ARE NOW
“QUIETLY CELEBRATING” ZIMBABWE’S ACCEPTANCE OF THE
STRUCTURAL CHANGE.
¶5. (C) ACCORDING TO MERAFHE, THE SADC HEADS OF STATE
MUST NOW RATIFY THE PLAN BEFORE IT BECOMES OPERABLE. HE
ANTICIPATES THIS WILL HAPPEN AT AN EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT
WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS. ASKED BY THE AMBASSADOR
ABOUT THE CHANCES OF FURTHER BACKSLIDING AT THE HEAD OF
STATE LEVEL, MERAFHE REPLIED THAT IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT — AND DOWNRIGHT EMBARRASSING — FOR ZIMBABWE
OR ANY OTHER MEMBER STATE TO BREAK RANKS AT THIS POINT.
——————————————— –
SADC CONSENSUS ON ECONOMIC RESTRUCTURING, TOO?
——————————————— –
¶6. (C) WE ASKED MERAFHE ABOUT THE “OTHER HALF” OF
SADC’S RESTRUCTURING EFFORT — A REVIEW THAT BEGAN 15
MONTHS AGO OF SADC’S HIGHLY DECENTRALIZED (AND WIDELY
CRITICIZED) SYSTEM OF 21 SECTOR COORDINATING UNITS, EACH
(WITH TWO EXCEPTIONS) FUNDED AND STAFFED BY A SINGLE
MEMBER STATE. HE REPORTED THAT THE ISSUE WOULD BE
DISCUSSED BY THE SADC COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (OF WHICH
MERAFHE IS A MEMBER) AT THEIR NOVEMBER 28 MEETING IN
GABORONE, AND THAT HE EXPECTED A FAVORABLE AND NON-
CONTROVERSIAL OUTCOME. (COMMENT: THIS TRACKS WITH WHAT
WE ARE HEARING FROM A VARIETY OF OTHER SOURCES: THAT
AFTER 15 MONTHS OF STUDY AND NEGOTIATIONS, SADC HAS
REACHED A CONSENSUS TO CONSOLIDATE THE 21 SECTOR UNITS
INTO 4 “CLUSTERS” — TRADE/FINANCE/INVESTMENT;
INFRASTRUCTURE; AGRICULTURE/ENVIRONMENT; AND HUMAN
RESOURCES — THAT WOULD BE REGIONALLY FUNDED AND
REGIONALLY STAFFED. END COMMENT).
——-
COMMENT
——-
¶7. (C) SHOULD THE CONSENSUS REACHED IN HARARE STICK,
THIS CAN ONLY BE SEEN AS A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT FOR
SADC. HAVING A FUNCTIONING ORGAN WOULD GIVE SADC A
MUCH-NEEDED MECHANISM FOR ADDRESSING REGIONAL SECURITY
ISSUES, AS WELL AS GIVE THE U.S. AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERS A POINT OF CONTACT THROUGH WHICH TO ENGAGE SADC
ON SUCH ISSUES. AT THE SAME TIME, AT THIS POINT IT
WOULD NOT BE PRUDENT AUTOMATICALLY TO ASSUME SADC WILL
ACTUALLY APPROVE THESE REFORMS — PRESIDENT MUGABE COULD
STILL BLOCK THEM IF HE SO CHOOSES. NOR WOULD IT BE
PRUDENT TO OVERSELL THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF A REFORMED
ORGAN. MANY OBSERVERS POINT TO THE STARK DISPARITIES
AMONG THE 14 SADC COUNTRIES REGARDING THEIR LEVEL OF
POLITICAL MATURITY AND COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND
DEMOCRACY. UNLESS AND UNTIL THE REGION DEVELOPS A
GREATER DEGREE OF SHARED COMMITMENT TO THESE VALUES, THE
ULTIMATE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE ORGAN AS A VEHICLE FOR
DIPLOMATIC, NON-MILITARY APPROACHES TO REGIONAL SECURITY
ISSUES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA WILL REMAIN IN QUESTION.
NONETHELESS, THE HARARE CONSENSUS IS A PREREQUISITE FOR
SADC TO GET TO THAT POINT. THIS, COUPLED WITH THE
ENCOURAGING NEWS SUGGESTING AGREEMENT ON CONSOLIDATING
SADC’S FAR-FLUNG AND GENERALLY WEAK DEVELOPMENTAL
STRUCTURES, APPEARS TO BODE WELL FOR SADC’S LONG-TERM
ASPIRATIONS TO BECOME A STRONGER ENGINE FOR REGIONAL
INTEGRATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.
LANGE
(47 VIEWS)
