Zimbabwe sent Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa and representatives from its Geneva Mission to represent the country at the World Conference Against Racism in Dakar.
The United States embassy said it was significant that Zimbabwe was sending a cabinet minister instead of a senior Foreign Affairs official saying this suggested that Zimbabwe was sympathetic to the Dakar draft which called for reparations for the slave trade.
The embassy was lobbying Foreign Affairs officials and had talked to Alfred Mutiwazuka, the principal administrative officer.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE502, ZIMBABWE REMARKS ON WCAR PREPCOM MEETING IN
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
241445Z Jan 01
CONFIDENTIAL PTO0398
PAGE 01 HARARE 00502 241447Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DS-00 VC-00
TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 OIC-02
SSO-00 SS-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W
——————BAF7A0 241459Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8075
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
USMISSION GENEVA
AMEMBASSY DAKAR
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000502
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/S, DRL/MLA, IO/ESA, L/HRR
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/24/11
SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE REMARKS ON WCAR PREPCOM MEETING IN
DAKAR
REF: STATE 7580
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 00502 241447Z
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) ON JANUARY 23, POST DELIVERED REFTEL TALKING
POINTS TO ALFRED MUTIWAZUKA, THE PRINCIPAL
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER (PAO) IN THE INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS OFFICE OF ZIMBABWE’S MFA. IN A FOLLOW-UP
CONVERSATION WITH MUTIWAZUKA ON JANUARY 24, POLOFF
LEARNED THAT ZIMBABWE IS SENDING JUSTICE MINISTER
PATRICK CHINAMASA AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM ITS GENEVA
MISSION TO REPRESENT IT AT THE WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST
RACISM PREPCOM MEETING IN DAKAR. MUTIWAZUKA SAID THAT
HE DID NOT YET HAVE ANY SUBSTANTIVE RESPONSE TO OUR
POINTS, AS ONE WAS STILL BEING DEVELOPED IN HIS OFFICE.
HOWEVER, A LETTER WITH OUR POINTS ATTACHED WOULD BE SENT
TO ZIMBABWE’S DAKAR MISSION BEFORE THE PREPCOM MEETING
BEGINS JANUARY 27, THE PAO STATED.
¶2. (C) COMMENT: IT IS SIGNIFICANT TO NOTE THAT ZIMBABWE
IS SENDING ITS JUSTICE MINISTER, RATHER THAN A SENIOR
MFA OFFICIAL, TO THE SENEGAL MEETING. THIS SUGGESTS
THAT ZIMBABWE MAY BE SYMPATHETIC TO THE DAKAR DRAFT’S
CALL FOR REPARATIONS FOR THE SLAVE TRADE. SUCH A POLICY
WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE’S
RECENT PUBLIC RHETORIC AGAINST COLONIALISTS AND WHITES,
WHICH HAS ALSO BEEN SPOUTED BY MINISTER CHINAMASA. END
COMMENT.
IRVING
CONFIDENTIAL
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