Chinamasa sent to World Conference Against Racism

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

TAGS: PREL PHUM SOCI ZI

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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