British PM told Tsvangirai no help if Mugabe retained executive power

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown phoned Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai not to budge emphasising that there would not be any international engagement with Zimbabwe if President Robert Mugabe retained executive power.

Brown’s call was made on the very day Tsvangirai was meeting Mugabe and the leader of the smaller faction of the MDC, Arthur Mutambara, to iron out a political agreement.

The meeting took the whole day and ended at 2 am.

Tsvangirai told Brown that he would hold firm and insist that he had the executive power with Mugabe as ceremonial president.

Mugabe also held his position supported by the service chiefs and Zimbabwe African national Union- patriotic Front heavyweights such as central bank governor Gideon Gono and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 08HARARE676, ZANU-PF–MDC NEGOTIATIONS SITREP

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C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000676

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STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2013

TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC ZI

SUBJECT: ZANU-PF–MDC NEGOTIATIONS SITREP

REF: HARARE 674

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

¶1. (C) Negotiations between ZANU-PF and the MDC took place

all day Sunday and ended at 2:00 am Sunday morning after a

closed-door session facilitated by South African president

Thabo Mbeki with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and MDC

leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara as the only

participants. The major obstacle to an agreement is the

allocation of executive power. Although Tsvangirai had

believed that Mugabe would cede executive power to him and

assume the role of ceremonial president in order to achieve

an honorable exit (Ref), Mugabe has refused to do so and is

insisting on a power-sharing agreement. Reportedly, Mugabe

wants to have jurisdiction over defense and security, and

foreign affairs; under his proposal the MDC would have

control over finance and economic-related ministries.

¶2. (C) Other contentious issues are the size of cabinet and

the duration of the government. ZANU-PF wants a bloated

cabinet to accommodate its top level officials. It has

proposed a 36-member cabinet with ZANU-PF and the

MDC-Tsvangirai faction each holding 15 seats and the

MDC-Mutambara faction receiving 6 ministries. Tsvangirai’s

proposal calls for 22 ministries, plus positions of prime

minister and two deputies. ZANU-PF and MDC-Tsvangirai would

split the ministries; Mutambara would be given one or two.

Tsvangirai wants a transitional government with a maximum

term of 36 months; ZANU-PF is negotiating for a five year

government.

¶3. (C) All signs are that Mutambara has swung to Mugabe’s

camp. He wrote an op-ed published on Sunday in the weekly

The Standard in which he praised the liberation struggle and

bashed Western interference in Zimbabwe. He also attended

the Heroes Day celebration on Monday at which Mugabe spoke

and made favorable references to him. (Tsvangirai did not

attend.)

¶4. (C) The British Charge told us today that British Prime

Minister Gordon Brown called Tsvangirai on Sunday, urged him

to stay the course, and emphasized there would be no renewal

of international engagement if Mugabe retained executive

power. Tsvangirai told Brown, as he told us, that he would

hold firm and insist he hold all executive power; Mugabe

could become a ceremonial president. Mugabe has also

maintained his position, supported by the GOZ service chiefs,

as well as ZANU-PF heavyweights such as Reserve Bank of

Zimbabwe governor Gideon Gono and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

¶4. COMMENT: Negotiations resumed this afternoon.

Tsvangirai is under intense pressure. Mugabe and Mutambara

are apparently negotiating from the same play book and Mbeki,

who has said he will stay until a deal is completed,

desperately wants an agreement before South Africa assumes

the SADC presidency on August 16. If Tsvangirai continues to

stand on principle, however, it is difficult to see how an

agreement will be reached. END COMMENT.

MCGEE

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