EU bullying tactics going too far

The European Union was taking its bullying tactics too far because it held the ill-advised belief that its racist membership had the divine right to decide the fate of developing countries, the Bulawayo daily, the Chronicle, said immediately after the release of the 2002 presidential elections.

“Maybe this is the right time to remind the EU that Zimbabwe is no longer a British colony to be told at every turn what to do and how to do it.

“We demand that the British and their racist friends abandon the blackmail they are trying to apply on Zimbabwe because it is a waste of time and resources. Now, we want to be respected as an equal member of the United Nations.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE767, MEDIA REACTION ZIM AFTER PRESIDENTIAL POLL;

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

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO8325

PAGE 01       HARARE 00767 01 OF 02 251337Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 INL-00

USNW-00 DODE-00 DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   TEDE-00

IO-00   LAB-01   VCE-00   NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00

IIP-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02   NFAT-00 SAS-00     /003W

——————7A0D83 251337Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1310

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000767

SIPDIS

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

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI

FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIM AFTER PRESIDENTIAL POLL;

HARARE

¶1.   EDITORIALS IN THE MAINSTREAM NEWSPAPERS CONTINUE

TO

FOCUS ON THE HOTLY DISPUTED PRESIDENTIAL POLL IN

ZIMBABWE. EXCERPTS FOLLOW:

¶2.   UNDER HEADLINE “A REGIME BENT ON VIOLENCE,

CORRUPTION WON’T GET AID,” THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE

DAILY NEWS” (03/25) COMMENTS:

“. . .IN LAST WEEK’S CONFERENCE. . .IN MONTERREY,

(MEXICO), PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH OF THE UNITED

STATES LINKED AID TO GOOD GOVERNANCE. CLEARLY,

WORLD POVERTY HAS TO BE TACKLED WITH THE FULL

KNOWLEDGE THAT UNLESS A COUNTRY GOVERNS ITS PEOPLE

WITH FAIRNESS, IT CANNOT EXPECT TO ATTRACT MUCH

HELP TO REDUCE POVERTY. LIKE ANY OTHER AFRICAN

COUNTRIES, ZIMBABWE HAS NOT ALWAYS BEHAVED

RESPONSIBLY WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY, PARTICULARLY

FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION. THE CONDUCT OF THE

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION HAS BEEN SO OVERWHELMINGLY

CONDEMNED AS A TRAVESTY OF FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE

THAT THE FEW FRIENDS WHO HAD STUCK WITH US AFTER

THE KILLINGS OF THE 2000 ELECTION CAMPAIGN HAVE

DECIDED THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH. ON ITS PRESENT

RECORD OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ITS OWN PEOPLE, THE

GOVERNMENT OF PRESIDENT MUGABE IS UNLIKELY TO FIND

TOO MANY COUNTRIES WILLING TO HELP IT END POVERTY

AMONG ITS PEOPLE. AS LONG AS THE KILLINGS

CONTINUE, NO CONFERENCE ON POVERTY IS LIKELY TO

HELP A REGIME SO COMMITTED TO VIOLENCE.”

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00767 01 OF 02 251337Z

¶3.   UNDER HEADLINE “EU BULLYING TACTICS GOING TOO

FAR,” THE BULAWAYO-BASED GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED DAILY

(03/25) COMMENTS:

“THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU). . .IS TAKING ITS BULLYING

TACTICS TOO FAR. IT STILL HOLDS THE ILL-ADVISED

BELIEF THAT ITS RACIST MEMBERSHIP HAS THE DIVINE

RIGHT TO DECIDE THE FATE OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

MAYBE THIS IS THE RIGHT TIME TO REMIND THE EU THAT

ZIMBABWE IS NO LONGER A BRITISH COLONY TO BE TOLD

AT EVERY TURN WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT. WE

DEMAND THAT THE BRITISH AND THEIR RACIST FRIENDS

ABANDON THE BLACKMAIL THEY ARE TRYING TO APPLY ON

ZIMBABWE BECAUSE IT IS A WASTE OF TIME AND

RESOURCES. NOW, WE WANT TO BE RESPECTED AS AN

EQUAL MEMBER OF THE UNITED NATIONS.”

¶4.   UNDER HEADLINE “MUDENGE KNOWS HE IS TALKING

NONSENSE,” THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY “THE STANDARD”

(03/24) COMMENTS:

“DR. STAN MUDENGE, ZIMBABWE’S FOREIGN MINISTER, HAS

AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT JOB, CONSIDERING ALL THE

CLEANING UP HE HAS TO DO AFTER MUGABE. BUT THAT’S

NO EXCUSE FOR HIM TO TALK NONSENSE. HIS RESPONSE

THIS WEEK TO ZIMBABWE’S SUSPENSION FROM THE

COMMONWEALTH IS A CASE IN POINT. IN AN ANGRY

RESPONSE TO THE DECISION BY THE COMMONWEALTH TROIKA

ON ZIMBABWE TO SUSPEND THE COUNTRY FROM THE

COMMONWEALTH FOR A YEAR. . .MUDENGE FLATLY STATED

THAT THE ZIMBABWE GOVERNMENT REJECTED THE REPORT.

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04       HARARE 00767 01 OF 02 251337Z

MUDENGE SAYS THE DECISION TO SUSPEND ZIMBABWE FROM

THE COMMONWEALTH FOR 12 MONTHS UNDERMINED THE

CREDIBILITY OF THE COMMONWEALTH. WE ARE OF THE

OPINION THAT THE COMMONWEALTH’S REPUTATION WOULD

HAVE BEEN MORE IN JEOPARDY HAD IT NOT TAKEN ACTION

AGAINST A TRUANT ADMINISTRATION THAT OVER A GOOD 36

MONTHS HAS PERFECTED THE ART OF DUCKING AND DIVING.

.NO ACTION SHOULD BE SPARED IN BRINGING TO BOOK A

POWER HUNGRY DESPOT WHO WILL USE ALL LEGAL AND

ILLEGAL MEANS TO REMAIN IN POWER, LONG PAST HIS

SELL-BY DATE.”

¶5.   UNDER HEADLINE “WHY MUST THE BRUTALITY AND

KILLINGS CONTINUE?” THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY

NEWS” (03/23) COMMENTS:

“.MORE THAN 10 PEOPLE HAVE DIED SINCE THE VOTING

ENDED, ALMOST TWO WEEKS GO. MANY OTHERS BEAR FRESH

SCARS INFLICTED ON THEM BY SUPPORTERS OF THE RULING

PARTY OR SO-CALLED WAR VETERANS. YET OTHERS HAVE

BECOME INTERNAL REFUGEES, DISPLACED FROM THEIR

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ0113

PAGE 01       HARARE 00767 02 OF 02 251337Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 INL-00

DODE-00 DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   TEDE-00 LAB-01

VCE-00   DCP-01   NSAE-00 IRM-00   TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00

DSCC-00 DRL-02   NFAT-00 SAS-00     /004W

——————7A0D99 251337Z /38

P 251320Z MAR 02

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1311

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 000767

SIPDIS

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

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI

FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ZIM AFTER PRESIDENTIAL POLL;

HARARE

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02       HARARE 00767 02 OF 02 251337Z

RURAL HOMES BY A WAVE OF RETRIBUTION UNLEASHED BY

GOVERNMENT SUPPORTERS. THE ONLY CRIME TO HAVE BEEN

COMMITTED BY VICTIMS OF THE CURRENT ‘CARAVAN’ OF

TERROR IS THAT THEY ARE SUSPECTED OF BEING MEMBERS

OF THE OPPOSITION MDC, LEGAL OPPOSITION PARTY. IT

IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE UNITY WHEN COERCION IS

EMPLOYED INSTEAD OF PERSUASION. IT IS

CONTRADICTORY TO RECOGNIZE THE DIVERSITY OF

OPINIONS AND YET AT THE SAME TIME SEEK TO DENY OR

PUNISH ANYONE HOLDING VIEWS CONTRARY TO ONE’S OWN.

IF MUGABE WAS SINCERE IN HIS CALL FOR UNITY, AND IF

HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT HE ENJOYED THE CONFIDENCE AND

SUPPORT IF THE 56,2 PERCENT OF THE 2,9 MILLION

VOTERS IN THE COUNTRY WHO TOOK PART IN THE

ELECTION, THEN HE WOULD HAVE STARTED BY DISMANTLING

THE (TORTURE CAMPS) SET UP BY ZANU PF YOUTH

BRIGADES. HE WOULD ALSO HAVE ORDERED THE POLICE TO

CLAMP DOWN ON THOSE RUNNING AROUND THE COUNTRY

CAUSING MAYHEM AND BEHAVING AS IF THEY ARE ABOVE

THE LAW. HE WOULD HAVE ORDERED THE SECURITY AGENTS

TO ENSURE ALL ACTS OF LAWLESSNESS AND THE FARM

INVASIONS STOPPED FORTHWITH. BUT THERE IS A FAR

MORE SINISTER INFERENCE THAT CAN BE MADE HERE. IT

IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS DARING THE INTERNATIONAL

COMMUNITY TO OSTRACIZE IT SO THAT IT BECOMES FREE

OF ANY INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATION TO UPHOLD HUMAN

RIGHTS AND OTHER RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS THAT GO

WITH A GOVERNMENT THAT IS A MEMBER OF THE WORLD

COMMUNITY. INTERNATIONAL ISOLATION WOULD CREATE

THE CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR DECLARING A STATE OF

EMERGENCY AND THE GOVERNMENT WOULD THEN BE FREE TO

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 00767 02 OF 02 251337Z

TERRORIZE AND SUBJUGATE ITS OWN PEOPLE.”

¶6.   UNDER HEADLINE “THE PEOPLE WANT PEACE,” THE

INDEPENDENT WEEKLY “THE ZIMBABWE MIRROR” (03/22)

COMMENTS:

“.IT IS CRUCIAL FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN

ZIMBABWE THAT MORGAN TSVANGIRAI AND HIS FOLLOWERS

INDULGE IN A CAREFUL AND HONEST ASSESSMENT OF BOTH

THE BALANCE OF FORCES AND THE MOOD OF THE MASS OF

THE PEOPLE IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PRESIDENTIAL

ELECTION. AS WE HAVE ALREADY STATED. . .PEOPLE ARE

TIRED OF THE POLITICS OF CONFRONTATION AND SIMPLY

WANT PEACE AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET DOWN TO THE

BREAD AND BUTTER ISSUES THAT ARE ALREADY SO

CRUCIAL. AS PRESIDENTS MBEKI AND OBASANJO

INTIMATED EARLIER THIS WEEK, THE MDC AND ZANU PF

SHOULD PUT ASIDE THEIR DIFFERENCES AND ENGAGE IN

DIALOGUE. IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THE DIALOGUE WILL

BEGIN SOON IN PARLIAMENT, WITH THE DEBATE TOWARDS A

NEW CONSTITUTION, TOWARDS A NEW ERA FOR ZIMBABWE.”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

>

(20 VIEWS)