Chiwewe asks what it would take to normalise relations with UK

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

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——————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

TAGS: PREL PGOV ZI

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

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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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