Categories: Stories

Goche negotiated Mugabe exit with MDC

One of the principal negotiators for the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front Nicholas Goche was holding talks with the Movement for Democratic Change regarding President Robert Mugabe’s exit, days after the 29 March 2008 elections.

The election results were not yet officially out but the MDC was planning to announce its own results on 2 April which would show that its leader Morgan Tsvangirai had won 50.3 percent of the vote but this had to be postponed.

The MDC was insisting that it would not negotiate a government of national unity.

 

Full cable:

 

Viewing cable 08HARARE261, SITUATION REPORT: MDC POSTPONES ANNOUNCEMENT OF

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Reference ID

Created

Released

Classification

Origin

08HARARE261

2008-04-02 09:52

2011-08-30 01:44

CONFIDENTIAL

Embassy Harare

VZCZCXRO0968

OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN

DE RUEHSB #0261 0930952

ZNY CCCCC ZZH

O 020952Z APR 08

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO RUEHC/SECSTA|VJ6.AQTRRA 1264

RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1621

RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2043

RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4474

RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE

RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1114

RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000261

 

SIPDIS

 

SIPDIS

 

AF/S FOR S. HILL

ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU

ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS

STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS

STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/02/2018

TAGS: PREL PGOV ASEC ZI

SUBJECT: SITUATION REPORT: MDC POSTPONES ANNOUNCEMENT OF

RESULTS

 

REF: HARARE 259 AND PREVIOUS

 

Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)

 

1. (C) The MDC postponed a planned 10 am announcement of its

own election tally until later today. President Morgan

Tsvangirai’s assistant, who has been coordinating the

 

SIPDIS

collection of results, told us the MDC’s calculation is that

Tsvangirai has won 50.3 percent of the vote. He also stated

 

SIPDIS

that the MDC has had talks with ZANU-PF’s Nicholas Goche, who

is representing Mugabe regarding an exit for Mugabe. The MDC

would not negotiate, however, a government of national unity.zQVQ#Qtout

the final presidential result. The Embassy’s EAC will meet

at 3 pm to review scenarios, risks and precautions.

 

MCGEE

(53 VIEWS)

Charles Rukuni

The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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