Jonathan Moyo describes ZIDERA as “tempest in a teapot”

The passing of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act which slapped sanctions on Zimbabwe and top ranking officials of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front received wide coverage in Zimbabwe but Information Minister Jonathan Moyo downplayed it calling it a “tempest in a teapot”.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE3651, ZIMBABWE REACTION TO HOUSE PASSAGE OF ZIMBABWE

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

070937Z Dec 01

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ4539

PAGE 01       HARARE 03651 071031Z

ACTION INR-00

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

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

LAB-01   VCE-00   NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00   DSCC-00

DRL-02   NFAT-00 SAS-00     /004W

——————48471C 071031Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0488

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003651

SIPDIS

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

SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE REACTION TO HOUSE PASSAGE OF ZIMBABWE

DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT.

¶1.   THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES’ DECEMBER 4 PASSAGE

OF THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT

(ZDERA) WAS FRONT-PAGE NEWS IN ZIMBABWE ON DECEMBER 6.

¶2.   GOVERNMENT-OWNED DAILY “THE HERALD” GAVE THE STORY

ABOVE-THE-FOLD PLAY UNDER THE HEADLINE “ANTI-ZIM BILL

PASSED.” THE REPORT BLAMES THE OPPOSITION MDC PARTY,

COMMERCIAL FARMERS, “SOME LOCAL INDUSTRIALISTS,” THE

BRITISH, AND “RIGHTWINGERS” FOR THE BILL’S PASSAGE.

FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO THE UN ANDREW YOUNG IS QUOTED

IN THE STORY A SAYING THAT THE BILL IS “IRONIC IN THAT

AT ITS FOUNDING AMERICA NEVER RECOGNIZED THE LAND

PROGRAM GIVEN TO IT BY KING GEORGE III. INSTEAD,

AMERICA WROTE AND ASSERTED HER OWN LAND POLICY.”

¶3.   THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY “THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE”

GAVE THE ISSUE TWO FRONT-PAGE PLACEMENTS” A STRAIGHT

NEWS STORY UNDER THE TITLE “US CONGRESS PASSES ZIMBABWE

SANCTIONS” AND A RELATIVELY RARE PAGE-ONE EDITORIAL

UNDER THE TITLE “NOOSE TIGHTENS ON PRESIDENT. THE NEWS

STORY PROVIDED A STRAIGHT ACCOUNT OF THE BILL, LEAVENED

WITH QUOTES FROM CONGRESSMEN ROYCE AND LANTOS.

¶4.   IN ITS FRONT-PAGE EDITORIAL THE “FINANCIAL

GAZETTE” COMMENTED: “THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE

INTERNATIONAL TIDE IS RISING AND NOW THREATENS TO SWEEP

AWAY PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE AND HIS REPRESSIVE REGIME.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT THIS WEEK PASSED THE ZDERA THAT

WILL UNLEASH SMART SANCTIONS AGAINST MUGABE AND THE

POWERFUL CLIQUE OF SENIOR ZANU PF OFFICIALS AROUND HIM.

. . BUT GIVEN THE STUBBORN NATURE OF ZIMBABWEAN

LEADERS, THERE REALLY IS NO HOPE THAT MUGABE AND HIS

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 03651 071031Z

BAND OF MERRY MEN WILL RESPECT THE WISHES OF THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO ALLOW A FREE AND FAIR POLL

AND RESTORE THE RULE OF LAW. WHAT IS MOST LIKELY IS

THAT THE ZIMBABWEAN LEADER WILL DEFY ALL EFFORTS TO

RESOLVE CONCERNS ABOUT HIS MISRULE AND, LIKE OSAMA BIN

LADEN, BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR MUGABE AND ZANU PF BECAUSE THE

INTERNATIONAL TIDE AGAINST THEIR REPRESSIVE RULE IS

RISING AND RISING VERY FAST. AND THE NOOSE IS

TIGHTENING.”

¶5.   THE PRIVATELY OWNED DAILY “THE DAILY NEWS”

PUBLISHED THE STORY ON PAGE TWO UNDER THE TITLE

“ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY BILL REACHES WATERSHED.” THAT

REPORT WAS FACTUAL, OFFERING A SUMMARY OF THE BILL, AND

QUOTES FROM CONGRESSMAN ED ROYCE. THE ARTICLE ALSO

OFFERED REACTIONS TO THE BILL FROM ZANU-PF SPOKESMAN

NATHAN SHAMUYARIRA AND MDC SPOKESMAN LEARNMORE JONGWE.

¶6.   ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION RADIO AND TV

ALSO GAVE ZDERA PROMINENT COVERAGE. REPORTS WERE

GENERALLY FACTUAL, BUT SOUGHT TO BLAME THE OPPOSITION

AND OTHER PERCEIVED ENEMIES OF THE RULING PARTY FOR

PROMOTING THE BILL. INFORMATION MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO

DOWNPLAYED THE BILL, DESCRIBING IT AS A “TEMPEST IN A

TEAPOT” DURING A ZBC TV INTERVIEW.

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

(79 VIEWS)