Allowing observers would erase Mugabe’s reputation of a power-crazed, aged dictator.

The Daily News said Zimbabwe should allow international observers to observe the 2002 presidential poll because this would erase in one fell swoop President Robert Mugabe’s odious reputation of “a power-crazed, aged dictator”.

 It would also demonstrate, once and for all, that the government had enough confidence in its popularity with voters not to be frightened of a level playing field.

Insisting that Zimbabwe was a sovereign state which would not be dictated to by other countries was all very well, but it was hardly worthwhile if it turned the country into a renegade state, shunned by the rest of the world.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE3741, MEDIA REPORT PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

172006Z Dec 01

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ1236

PAGE 01       HARARE 03741 172104Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00

DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   H-01     TEDE-00 LAB-01

VCE-00   NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 IIP-00   DSCC-00

DRL-02   NFAT-00 SAS-00     /004W

——————4CC636 172104Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0555

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003741

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/RA FOR SWANN,

INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE

¶1.   THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY NEWS” USED ITS

DECEMBER 14 EDITORIAL TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE TO

ALLOW AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AND INTERNATIONAL ELECTION

OBSERVERS TO SUPERVISE AND OBSERVE THE 2002 PRESIDENTIAL

POLL. UNDER HEADLINE “AN ELECTION NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED

BY OTHERS,” THE PAPER COMMENTS:

¶2.   “A NUMBER OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES AMONG THEM THE U.S. AND

THE COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, HAVE THREATENED NOT TO

RECOGNIZE THE RESULT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO BE

HELD IN MARCH, IF THEY DEEM IT NOT TO HAVE BEEN FREE AND

FAIR. AN ELECTION SUPERVISED BY AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION

COULD GIVE THE GOVERNMENT AN INTERNATIONAL IMAGE HIGHLY

COVETED BY ANY DEVELOPING COUNTRY HAVING DIFFICULT

BORROWING MONEY FROM ANYWHERE BECAUSE OF ITS PARIAH STATUS.

ALLOWING INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS INTO THE COUNTRY

WOULD ERASE IN ONE FELL SWOOP MUGABE’S ODIOUS REPUTATION OF

‘A POWER-CRAZED, AGED DICTATOR,’ TO QUOTE ED ROYCE, A U. S.

CONGRESSMAN. IT WOULD DEMONSTRATE, ONCE AND FOR ALL, THAT

THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOTHING TO HIDE, THAT IT HAD ENOUGH

CONFIDENCE IN ITS POPULARITY WITH THE VOTERS NOT TO BE

FRIGHTENED OF A LEVEL ELECTION PLAYING FIELD. BUT WHAT

THEY HAVE DONE, INSTEAD, IS TO HARP ON THE FACT THAT

ZIMBABWE IS A SOVEREIGN STATE WHICH WILL NOT BE DICTATED TO

BY OTHER COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY THE FORMER COLONIAL MASTER.

SOVEREIGNTY IS ALL VERY WELL, BUT IF IT TURNS THE COUNTRY

INTO A RENEGADE STATE, SHUNNED BY THE REST OF THE CIVILIZED

WORLD, IT’S HARDLY WORTHWHILE. TO PUT IT MILDLY, THE

GOVERNMENT IS NERVOUS ABOUT GOING INTO AN ELECTION WHERE

THE PLAYING FIELD IS ABSOLUTELY LEVEL.”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 03741 172104Z

UNCLASSIFIED

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