The secretary for Foreign Affairs Willard Chiwewe asked British High Commissioner to Zimbabwe Peter Longworth what it would take to normalise relations with Britain.
The High Commissioner said:
- Restoration of the rule of law on the occupied farms,
- A return to the principles agreed upon at the 1998 donors’ conference on land,
- And serious steps on the part of the Zimbabwean government to address the country’s current macroeconomic instability.
Chiwewe is reported to have “made a face,” but presumably reported the High Commissioner’s answer to his superiors.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 00HARARE6086, SENIOR ZIMBABWEAN OFFICIAL ETENDS A PEACE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
CONFIDENTIAL PTO0777
PAGE 01 HARARE 06086 271101Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 AID-00 CIAE-00 COME-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 EB-00
EUR-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 L-00
AC-01 NEA-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00
PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00
USIE-00 SA-00 PMB-00 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /005W
——————9782F7 271101Z /22
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 7462
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY LONDON
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI
AMEMBASSY PARIS
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 006086
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
LONOON FOR GURNEY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2010
SUBJECT: SENIOR ZIMBABWEAN OFFICIAL ETENDS A PEACE
FEELER TO THE BRITISH
REF: HARARE 6082
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCOONALD FORREASONS 1.5.
(B) ANO (D) .
¶1. (C) BRITISH DEUTY HIQH COMMISSIONER IAN HAY-
CAMPBELL INFORMEDDCM OCTOBER 26 THAT MINISTRY OF
FOREIQN AFFAIRS ERMANENT SECRETARY WILLARD CHIWEWE HAD
SUMMONED RITISH HIQH COMMISSIONER PETER LONQWORTH
SUDDENLYON OCTOBER 16. LONQWORTH ASSUMED THE SUBJECT
OFTHEIR CONVERSATION WOULD BE AN ARTICLE THAT HAD
PPEARED THAT DAY IN THE GOVERNMENT-INFLUENCED
NESPAPER, “THE HERALD,” QUOTINQ FROM AN OLD INTERVIE
WITH PETER HAIN, THE BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE OR
AFRICA, WHO WAS VOICED HIS OPINION ON THE LAN QUESTION
IN ZIMBABWE. INSTEAD, A JOVIAL CHIWEW RECEIVED
LONQWORTH CORDIALLY, ENQAQED THE LATTE IN QOOD NATURED
BANTER, TOLD AND ELICITED STORIS AND, AFTER NEARLY TWO
HOURS, FINALLY CAME TO HI POINT: HE ASKED WHAT IT WOULD
TAKE TO NORMALIZERELATIONS WITH BRITAIN. LONQWORTH
REPORTEDLY ANWERED, “THAT’S EASY,” AND TICKED OFF A
THREE-ITE LIST: RESTORATION OF THE RULE OF LAW ON THE
OCCPIED FARMS, A RETURN TO THE PRINCIPLES AGREED UPON
AT THE 1998 DONORS’ CONFERENCE ON LAND, AND SERIOUS
STEPS ON THE PART OF THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT TO
ADDRESS THE COUNTRY’S CURRENT MACROECONOMIC INSTABILITY.
ACCORDING TO HAY-CAMPBELL, UPON HEARINQ THE ANSWER
CHIWEWE “MADE A FACE,” BUT PRESUMABLY REPORTED THE HIQH
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 06086 271101Z
COMMISSIONER’S ANSWER TO HIS SUPERIORS.
¶2. (C) THE BRITISH DEPUTY HIQH COMMISSIONER ALSO
REPORTED THAT ONLY A COUPLE OF DAYS EARLIER THE DEAN OF
THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, THE PALESTINIAN REPRESENTATIVE,
AMBASSADOR ALI HALIMEH, HAD APPROACHED LONQWORTH AT A
BARBECUE AT THE LATTER RESIDENCE AND ASKED WHAT IT WOULD
TAKE FOR THE BRITISH TO PATCH UP THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH
ZIMBABWE. LONGWORTH TOLD THE DEAN, WHO IS KNOWN TO BE
VERY CLOSE TO PRESIDENT MUQABE, EXACTLY WHAT HE TOLD
CHIWEWE. ALTHOUQH HAY-CAMPBELL WOULD NOT QO SO FAR AS
TO SAY THE INITIATIVE HAD COME FROM MUQABE HIMSELF, HE
INFERRED THAT THERE WAS CONCERN AT THE HIQHEST LEVELS OF
THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT THAT SOMETHINQ HAD TO BE DONE
TO RESTORE THEIR TIES WITH BRITAIN.
¶3. (C) IN A RELATED DEVELOPMENT, GERMAN DCM WERNER
KOEHLER TOLD DCM OCTOBER 26 THAT HIS AMBASSADOR, FRITZ
FLIMM, HAD MET THAT DAY WITH THE SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT,
EMMERSON MNANQAQWA, TO REQISTER HIS GOVERNMENT’S CONCERN
ABOUT THE ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT’S FAILURE TO APPLY THE
RULE OF LAW ON OCCUPIED COMMERCIAL FARMS. THE NORMALLY
PLACID MNANGAGWA LAUNCHED INTO A VIGOROUS LECTURE
QUOTING THE PARTY LINE CHAPTER AND VERSE. THE SENIOR
GERMAN DIPLOMAT LEFT WITH THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT
THE IMPEACHMENT MOTION FILED ON OCTOBER 25 HAD TOUCHED A
RAW NERVE.
¶4. (C) COMMENT: IT’S A SIGN THAT THE ZIMBABWEAN
GOVERNMENT PERCEIVES THAT IT’S UP AGAINST THE WALL WHEN
IT REACHES OUT TO THE BRITISH TO HELP END ITS
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 06086 271101Z
INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION AND SIMULTANEOUSLY REJECTS THE
ADVICE OF THE ENVOY OF A PROMINENT MEMBER OF THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY ON WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO BE
ACCEPTED IN DECENT SOCIETY AGAIN. IN A FIT OF PIQUE,
PRESIDENT MUGABE THREATENED TO WITHDRAW HIS NATIONAL
RECONCILIATION POLICY AND IN SO DOING LOST HIS LAST
SHRED OF INTERNATIONAL CREDIBILITY. WE ARE CONCERNED
THAT THE ZANU-PF-LED GOVERNMENT WILL DEAL WITH ITS
CURRENT PREDICAMENT THROUGH ITS TRIED AND TESTED METHOD:
VIOLENCE. END COMMENT.
MCDONALD
CONFIDENTIAL
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