Daily News says travel restrictions are working

The Daily News said travel restrictions against President Robert Mugabe and his lieutenants were working contrary to reports by the State-owned media but President Mugabe had only been allowed into the United States because he was on United Nations business.

“That is the only reason why Mugabe and his retinue were able to travel to the US, in spite of the ‘smart sanctions’ imposed on them by the US administration under the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act.

“If they had landed in Washington, DC or Seattle, in Washington State, on a shopping spree, it is doubtful that they would have been allowed to get off their plane.

“But the government propaganda would have us believe that the government is winning its war against its detractors, that the sanctions are ineffective and that Zimbabwe is as squeaky clean, diplomatically, as it was before the bloodshed that began with the farm invasions of 2000 and culminated with the controversial presidential election last March. All this misinformation may fool some people some of the time, but it won’t fool all the people all the time. . . .,” the paper said.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE1358, MEDIA REPORT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS EFFECTIVE;

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 001358

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR DIPALMA, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR

JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO ZI

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS EFFECTIVE;

HARARE

¶1.   Under headline “Government in a state of denial of

reality” the independent daily “The Daily News”

dedicated its Tuesday 4 editorial to declaring that the

travel restrictions imposed on Mugabe’s government are

effective. Excerpts:

¶2.   “The government’s attempts to pretend that the

whole world still loves it in spite of its violation of

its citizens’ human rights are now bordering on the

absurd. Last month, President Mugabe led a high-

powered delegation to New York to attend a United

Nations conference on children. Under the UN

headquarters agreement the U.S. is obliged to let any

head of state into the UN building unless they are

banned or suspended from the UN. That is the only

reason why Mugabe and his retinue were able to travel

to the US, in spite of the ‘smart sanctions’ imposed on

them by the US administration under the Zimbabwe

Democracy and Economic Recovery Act. If they had

landed in Washington, DC or Seattle, in Washington

State, on a shopping spree, it is doubtful that they

would have been allowed to get off their plane. But

the government propaganda would have us believe that

the government is winning its war against its

detractors, that the sanctions are ineffective and that

Zimbabwe is as squeaky clean, diplomatically, as it was

before the bloodshed that began with the farm invasions

of 2000 and culminated with the controversial

presidential election last March. All this

misinformation may fool some people some of the time,

but it won’t fool all the people all the time. . . .”

SULLIVAN

(27 VIEWS)