African diplomats felt that the Movement for Democratic Change was not qualified to take over the reins of power in the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections despite the political hankerings of the Zimbabwean people.
The United States embassy, however, said the MDC’s capacity to govern should in democratic terms be the business of Zimbabweans and no one else.
The embassy seemed to be raffled by reports that there was widespread acceptance by African diplomats of the ZANU-PF credo that the land issue -not the rule of law or the principle of popular sovereign will – was at the heart of the election campaign.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE611, DESPITE BEHIND THE SCENES SCHEMES, A PAN-
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
071500Z Mar 02
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ3074
PAGE 01 HARARE 00611 01 OF 02 071508Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 WHA-00
SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
L-00 VCE-00 M-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01
PA-00 PC-01 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00
SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 R-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02
G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /007W
——————70EFD8 071508Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1127
INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN
NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000611
SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF, DAS BELLAMY; AND AF/S
CAPETOWN FOR A/S KANSTEINER
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/07
SUBJECT: DESPITE BEHIND THE SCENES SCHEMES, A PAN-
AFRICAN ELECTION WHITEWASH UNLIKELY
REF: A) HARARE 591 B) HARARE 603
CLASSIFIED BY DCM REWHITEHEAD DUE TO 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) WE HAVE PICKED UP A NUMBER OF REPORTS THAT THERE
ARE MOVES AFOOT TO LINE UP AFRICAN ELECTION OBSERVATION
DELEGATIONS TO AGREE TO A COMMON POST-ELECTORAL
STATEMENT FAVORABLE TO ROBERT MUGABE. DEPUTY ELECTIONS
SUPERVISION COMMISSIONER’S NYIKAYARAMBA INVITATION TO
AFRICAN CHIEFS OF MISSION AND THE HEAD OF AFRICAN
ELECTION OBSERVATION DELEGATIONS TO A FOLLOW-UP MEETING
TO THE ESC PRE-ELECTION BRIEFING (REFTELS) TURNED OUT TO
BE AN INVITATION TO MEET WITH MDC LEADERSHIP, INCLUDING
MORGAN TSVANGIRAI.
¶2. (C) REPORTS ON THE MEETING FROM CONTACTS WITHIN THE
AFRICAN DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY REVEAL THAT THERE ARE TWO
UNDERLYING CONCERNS AMONG MANY AFRICAN DELEGATES.
FIRST, THERE IS WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE OF THE ZANU-PF
CREDO THAT THE LAND ISSUE — NOT THE RULE OF LAW OR THE
PRINCIPLE OF POPULAR SOVEREIGN WILL — LIES AT THE HEART
OF THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN. SECONDLY, THERE IS A FEELING
THAT THE MDC MAY NOT BE QUALIFIED TO TAKE UP THE REINS
OF POWER, REGARDLESS OF THE POLITICAL HANKERINGS OF THE
ZIMBABWEAN PEOPLE.
¶3. (C) DUKE LEFHOKO, HEAD OF THE SADC-PF DELEGATION AND
THUS FAR THE STRAIGHTEST SHOOTER OF THE AFRICAN MISSION
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 00611 01 OF 02 071508Z
HEADS, REPORTEDLY WARNED MDC BEFORE THE MEETING NOT TO
AGREE TO ANY CONDITIONS OFFERED BY THE AFRICAN GROUP.
IN FACT, THERE WAS REPORTEDLY A SUBSEQUENT ATTEMPT BY
CERTAIN DELEGATES TO GET TSVANGIRAI TO STATE THAT HE
WOULD ACCEPT THE ANNOUNCED OUTCOME, WHATEVER THIS MIGHT
BE, A POSITION THAT TSVANGIRAI WOULD NOT ACCEPT. TWO
ANC MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN DELEGATION PRESSED
TSVANGIRAI ON EXACTLY THE SAME POINT DURING A PUBLIC MDC
SIPDIS
BRIEFING EARLY LAST WEEK.
¶4. (C) THE NDI’S DENNIS KADEMA (PROTECT), WHO IS
ADVISING THE SADC-PF DELEGATION, INFORMED DCM ON MARCH 7
THAT THE AU IS TAKING A VERY STRONG PRO-MUGABE STANCE.
A WOMAN FROM THE AU DELEGATION MET WITH SADC-PF SYG
MUTUKWA AND LEFHOKO EARLY THIS WEEK AND STRONGLY PRESSED
THEM TO AGREE TO SIGNING ON TO A JOINT, ALL-AFRICAN POST
ELECTORAL STATEMENT FAVORABLE TO MUGABE. THEY REFUSED,
AND OTHER DELEGATIONS HAVE REPORTEDLY ALSO BALKED AT THE
NOTION.
¶5. (C) AFRICAN CONCERNS ABOUT LAND AND THE MDC’S
ABILITY TO GOVERN DO NOT APPEAR TO REFLECT AN ACCEPTANCE
OF ZANU-PF’S SLASH AND BURN APPROACH TO ELECTIONEERING.
THE NIGERIANS AND SOUTH AFRICANS HAVE BOTH TOLD US THAT
ZANU-PF VIOLENCE AND BLATANT DISREGARD FOR THE RULES IS
APPALLING. OTHER DELEGATIONS HAVE EXPRESSED SIMILAR
SENTIMENTS. THREE DELEGATES FROM GHANA — TWO MPS WHO
FORMERLY WERE IN OPPOSITION AND A WELL QUALIFIED
ELECTION COMMISSIONER — DESCRIBED TO THE AMBASSADOR
THEIR REPULSION AT THE WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE, PROCEDURAL
WEAKNESSES, AND GOZ MEDIA DISTORTION. HOWEVER, THEY
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 00611 01 OF 02 071508Z
INSISTED THAT THEY ARE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THEIR
INVITATION AND ARE UNABLE TO SPEAK OUT UNTIL AFTER THE
ELECTION IS DONE.
¶6. (C) COMMENT. WE DO NOT THINK THAT ATTEMPTS TO FORGE
A PAN-AFRICAN, PRO-MUGABE POSITION WILL PREVAIL DESPITE
QUESTIONS BY SOME DELEGATIONS ABOUT THE LAND ISSUE AND
THE MDC’S CAPACITY TO GOVERN (WHICH, WE NOTE, SHOULD IN
DEMOCRATIC TERMS BE THE BUSINESS OF THE ZIMBABWEANS AND
NO ONE ELSE). AS NOTED IN EARLIER REPORTS, A NUMBER OF
AFRICAN BILATERAL DELEGATIONS — AND CLEARLY THE AU —
HAVE NOT COME HERE TO FIND FAULT WITH A MUGABE VICTORY,
HOWEVER THIS MAY BE OBTAINED. HOWEVER, OUR
CONVERSATIONS WITH MEMBERS OF OTHER AFRICAN DELEGATIONS,
AND THE EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE OF SOME OF THEIR OBSERVERS
IN THE FIELD AS REPORTED BY OUR OBSERVER TEAMS, LEAD US
TO CONCLUDE THAT THERE WILL BE OTHER, MORE BALANCED
VOICES. IN THE EVENT OF AN ANNOUNCED MUGABE VICTORY,
THE FINAL PUBLIC POSITIONS OF THE NIGERIANS AND THE
SOUTH AFRICANS WILL BE CRUCIAL TO WHETHER OR NOT THE
AFRICANS AT LARGE RETREAT TO THE UNFORTUNATE “QUIET
DIPLOMACY” OF AFRICAN SOLIDARITY THAT HAS TOO FREQUENTLY
PREVAILED IN THE PAST. END COMMENT.
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ3075
PAGE 01 HARARE 00611 02 OF 02 071508Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 WHA-00
SRPP-00 DS-00 EAP-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00
L-00 VCE-00 M-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 OMB-01 OPIC-01
PA-00 PC-01 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00
SSO-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00
NFAT-00 SAS-00 SWCI-00 /007W
——————70EFDC 071508Z /38
O 071500Z MAR 02
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1128
INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
AMEMBASSY CANBERRA
AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN
NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000611
SIPDIS
STATE FOR AF, DAS BELLAMY; AND AF/S
CAPETOWN FOR A/S KANSTEINER
NSC FOR SENIOR DIRECTOR FRAZER
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/08/07
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 00611 02 OF 02 071508Z
SUBJECT: DESPITE BEHIND THE SCENES SCHEMES, A PAN-
AFRICAN ELECTION WHITEWASH UNLIKELY
SULLIVAN
CONFIDENTIAL
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