Biti says Mbeki is full of b… s…

Movement for Democratic Change secretary-general Tendai Biti told United States embassy officials that South African President Thabo Mbeki, who was the facilitator of the Zimbabwe talks, was “full of b.s” after the South African leader had suggested that the leaders of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, should meet President Robert Mugabe directly to resolve the Zimbabwean crisis.

Biti said the MDC had now lost all confidence in Mbeki and had formally requested him to report to the Southern African Development Community to ask it to resolve the impasse.

Talks between the MDC and ZANU-PF were deadlocked because the MDC was insisting that the draft constitution should be implemented before the 2008 elections and that the elections should be postponed.

ZANU-PF refused to budge.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 08HARARE46, MDC’S BITI ON SADC FAILURE, MDC RECONCILIATION

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C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000046

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STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS

STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2018

TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC ZI

SUBJECT: MDC’S BITI ON SADC FAILURE, MDC RECONCILIATION

REF: HARARE 38

Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee. Reason: 1.4 (d)

¶1. (C) Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Tsvangirai

faction secretary general Tendai Biti told Polecon chief on

January 21 that South African president Mbeki, after four

hours of meetings with President Mugabe and two hours with

MDC president organ Tsvangirai on January 17, had failed to

brek the negotiation logjam. The principal issues blcking

agreement were the MDC’s insistence that the draft

constitution be implemented before the election and that the

eletion be postponed. Subsidiary issues were MDC demnds

that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) be reconstituted

(at least with a new chairman), that new registration and

delimitation of constituencies take place, that rural chiefs

and ZANU-PF patronage in these areas be ended and that

monitors be dispatched to ensure this; and that food aid

manipulation be ended. (NOTE: Biti said the MDC was not

seeking Diaspora voting since it believed ZANU-PF could

fraudulently manipulate this. END NOTE.)

¶2. (C) Biti told us MDC leaders met with Mbeki and his

negotiating team last weekend in South Africa, following

Mbeki’s unsuccessful trip to Harare. Mbeki suggested that

MDC faction leaders Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara meet

directly with Mugabe. Biti termed this idea “ludicrous.” He

said Mbeki was “full of b.s.” and that the MDC had lost all

confidence in him. The MDC has formally requested that Mbeki

report to SADC and ask SADC as a body to attempt to resolve

the impasse.

¶3. (C) Biti was not hopeful that SADC would act. He

suggested that the USG privately pressure Mbeki and SADC to

place more pressure on Mugabe. He told us he believed a

public USG response to the logjam would be premature at this

time, but if the talks formally deadlock the MDC believed a

USG condemnation of Mugabe would be appropriate.

¶4. (C) On MDC reconciliation, Biti said standing committees

of both factions had met last weekend in South Africa and had

agreed to a coalition to contest the March election. The

agreement would not be made public until details had been

worked out. The ultimate objective, according to Biti, was

reunification.

MCGEE

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