Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai had to personally meet United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald to apologise for a diplomatic embarrassment after a press release from his party had implied that the party had asked the US for help to remove President Robert Mugabe from power.
The party was supposed to have made the request to United States assistant secretary of State Susan Rice during her visit to the country.
Rice was reported to have been chagrined by the report and had ordered that the issue be clarified immediately.
Tsvangirai said the statement had been issued by “an overzealous staffer”, Annabel Hughes, and he had told her that was not the way to secure Mugabe’s ouster.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 00HARARE6455, TSVANGIRAI APOLOGIZES TO AMBASSADOR FOR MDC
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
201442Z Nov 00
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ4913
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——————A166F4 201442Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7651
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 006455
SIPDIS
NAIROBI PLEASE TO A/S RICE
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
LONDON FOR GURNEY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2010
SUBJECT: TSVANGIRAI APOLOGIZES TO AMBASSADOR FOR MDC
PRESS RELEASE
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 06455 01 OF 02 201442Z
CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD FOR REASON 1.5
(D) .
¶1. (C) MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC) PRESIDENT
MORGAN TSVANGIRAI CAME TO THE CHANCERY ON NOVEMBER 20
AND APOLOGIZED TO AMBASSADOR MCDONALD FOR A PRESS
RELEASE DATED NOVEMBER 16. AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE
PRESS RELEASE CLAIMS THAT TSVANGIRAI AND AF ASSISTANT
SECRETARY RICE DISCUSSED “HOW TO MANAGE A TRANSITION OF
SIPDIS
POWER” IN ZIMBABWE, AND CLAIMED A/S RICE SAID THAT “THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT WAS KEEN TO ASSIST THE MDC IN RESTORING
FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY IN THE COUNTRY AND ENDORSED THE
NEED FOR ADDED PRESSURE ON THE GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE LAW
AND ORDER RESUMED THROUGHOUT ZIMBABWE.” TSVANGIRAI
EXPLAINED THAT HE DID NOT AUTHORIZE THE MDC STATEMENT OF
THE 16TH, AND ONLY FIRST LEARNED OF IT WHEN THE SATURDAY
(NOVEMBER 18) EVENING TELEVISION NEWS ON THE ZIMBABWE
BROADCASTING CORPORATION LED WITH THE EMBASSY’S
STATEMENT REBUTTING THE CONTENTS OF THE NOVEMBER 16 MDC
STATEMENT. TSVANGIRAI EXPLAINED TO US THAT AFTER SEEING
THE STORY, HE IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE
AMBASSADOR FOR AN EXPLANATION, BUT SPOKE WITH THE DCM.
THE DCM EXPLAINED THAT THE EMBASSY’S RESPONSE HAD BEEN
PROMPTED BY THE APPEARANCE TWO DAYS EARLIER ON THE
INTERNET OF AN APPARENTLY AUTHORITATIVE MDC RELEASE.
¶2. (C) THE MDC PRESIDENT CONTINUED THAT HE CHECKED WITH
HIS INFORMATION CHIEF, NOMORE SIBANDA, WHO DENIED ANY
KNOWLEDGE OF THE PIECE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE MATTER
FURTHER, THEY ESTABLISHED THAT ANNABEL HUQHES, “AN
OVERZEALOUS STAFFER”, HAD ISSUED THE STATEMENT.
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 06455 01 OF 02 201442Z
TSVANGIRAI STRESSED SHE HAD BEEN DEALT WITH. TSVANQIRAI
SIPDIS
SAID HE TOLD HUQHES THAT THE STATEMENT HAD PUT HIM IN AN
EMBARRASSINQ POSITION AND IT WAS NOT THE WAY TO SECURE
MUGABE’S OUSTER. HE HOPED THAT THE AMBASSADOR WOULD
TAKE IT ON QOOD FAITH THAT HE HAD NOT ORDERED OR CLEARED
ON THE STATEMENT ISSUED, AND WOULD NOT BREACH THE
CONFIDENCE OF DISCUSSIONS HELD BEHIND CLOSED DOORS THIS
TIME OR ON ANY OTHER OCCASION.
¶3. (C) AMBASSADOR MCOONALD ACCEPTED TSVANQIRAI’S
APOLOQY AND NOTED THAT ASSISTANT SECRETARY RICE HAD BEEN
“QUITE CHAQRINED” WHEN SHE LEARNED OF THE STATEMENT’S
CONTENTS AND THOUQHT IT REQUIRED AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE.
HE STRESSED THAT THE USG DID NOT FAVOR A PARTICULAR
PARTY IN ZIMBABWE AND INDEED, MAINTAINED ACTIVE DIALOQUE
WITH THE GOZ AND OPPOSITION QROUPS. THE AMBASSADOR SAID
THAT THE EMBASSY HAD MAINTAINED QOOD RELATIONS WITH THE
MDC IN THE PAST AND HOPED THAT THERE WOULD BE NO REPEAT
OF THIS UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT. “ONCE BURNED, TWICE SHY,”
THE MOC PRESIDENT STATED, AND SAID HE WOULD PERSONALLY
PEN AN APOLOQY TO ASSISTANT SECRETARY RICE. HE ALSO
SHARED WITH US A COPY OF A PRESS RELEASE, WHICH THE MOC
ISSUED NOVEMBER 19, CLARIFYINQ THE MATTER, THE TEXT OF
WHICH APPEARS IN PARAQRAPH 4.
¶4. (U) BEQIN TEXT OF MOC PRESS RELEASE.
LAST WEEK THE UNITED STATES ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
SUSAN RICE WAS IN ZIMBABWE AND HELD CONSULTATIONS WITH A
WIDE CROSS SECTION OF ZIMBABWEAN SOCIETY. WE CONFIRM
THAT THE MOC HELD A MEETINQ WITH SUSAN RICE AND HER
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 04 HARARE 06455 01 OF 02 201442Z
DELEQATION DURINQ HER CONSULTATIVE TOUR.
AT NO TIME DURINQ THE MEETINQ DID THE MOC REQUEST FOR
ASSISTANCE TO REMOVE PRESIDENT MUQABE FROM POWER OR
INDEED ANY OTHER FORM OF ASSISTANCE FROM THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT. INSTEAD THE MOC PRESENTED TO SUSAN RICE AND
HER DELEGATION ITS PERSPECTIVE OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC,
POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CRISIS AS WELL AS THE MOC
PERSPECTIVE ON HOW TO RESOLVE IT.
THE MDC STRONQLY BELIEVES THAT THE MANDATE OF PRESIDENT
MUQABE LIES WITH THE ZIMBABWEAN PEOPLE AND THEY ALONE
HAVE THE RIQHT TO DECIDE THE POLITICAL FUTURE OF THIS
COUNTRY.
CONTRARY TO THE STATEMENT ISSUED ON NOVEMBER 16, 2000,
ON THE INTERNET THE MDC HAS MAINTAINED THE CONFIDENCE OF
THE DISCUSSION. NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT WAS ISSUED,
THEREFORE ANY SUGGESTION THAT THE MDC SOUGHT THE
ASSISTANCE OF THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT IS TOTALLY
UNFOUNDED AND MISCHIEVOUS.
END TEXT.
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ4914
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/006W
——————A166F8 201442Z /38
O 201442Z NOV 00
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7652
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY NAIROBI IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 006455
SIPDIS
NAIROBI PLEASE TO A/S RICE
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
LONDON FOR GURNEY
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2010
SUBJECT: TSVANGIRAI APOLOGIZES TO AMBASSADOR FOR MDC
PRESS RELEASE
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 06455 02 OF 02 201442Z
MCDONALD
CONFIDENTIAL
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