Emmerson Mnangagwa, the government’s point man in the Democratic Republic of Congo, assured the United States embassy in Harare that Zimbabwe would ensure that the DRC remained calm following the assassination of President Laurent Kabila.
He said this had already been achieved as Joseph Kabila’s appointment as interim leader had been well received.
Zimbabwe would also be involved in Laurent Kabila’s funeral though he was not sure when the funeral would be.
Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was determined to make sure that nothing would be done to jeopardise the peace process in the DRC.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE349, INITIAL ZIMBABWEAN THINKING ON NEXT STEPS IN DRC
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
181034Z Jan 01
CONFIDENTIAL PTO6119
PAGE 01 HARARE 00349 181034Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00 DS-00
EB-00 FAAE-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 VCE-00
NSAE-00 OIC-02 PM-00 IRM-00 SSO-00 SS-00 PMB-00
DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W
——————B7EBF5 181034Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8021
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RWANDA COLLECTIVE
AMEMBASSY LIBREVILLE
AMEMBASSY YAOUNDE
C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000349
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH
USUN FOR HOLBROOKE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/01
SUBJECT: INITIAL ZIMBABWEAN THINKING ON NEXT STEPS IN DRC
REF: A) STATE 9311 B) HARARE 343
CLASSIFIED BY CHARGE D’AFFAIRES EARL M. IRVING FOR
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 00349 181034Z
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) CHARGE, ACCOMPANIED BY POLOFF, DELIVERED REF A
POINTS ON JANUARY 18 TO SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT EMMERSON
MNANGAGWA, STRESSING THE IMPORTANCE OF REFRAINING FROM
OFFENSIVE ACTION AND OF INCLUDING RWANDA AND UGANDA IN
DISCUSSIONS ON THE WAY FORWARD. MNANGAGWA WAS PRESIDENT
MUGABE’S DRC SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS MAN IN HIS PREVIOUS JOB AS
MINISTER OF JUSTICE, AND REMAINS A KEY PLAYER ON DRC
POLICY. CHARGE ALERTED THE SPEAKER THAT A SENIOR U.S.
OFFICIAL IN WASHINGTON LIKELY WOULD ATTEMPT TO REACH
PRESIDENT MUGABE TODAY TO MAKE SIMILAR POINTS, ONCE
KABILA’S DEATH IS PUBLICLY CONFIRMED BY KINSHASA.
¶2. (C) MNANGAGWA REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE RETURNED
FROM YAOUNDE EARLY ON THE MORNING OF JANUARY 18, AND THAT
MNANGAGWA HAD TO RUSH OFF SHORTLY TO BRIEF HIM ON THE
SITUATION IN KINSHASA. THE SPEAKER CONFIRMED THAT KABILA’S
BODY WAS IN HARARE AND SAID IT WOULD BE RETURNED TO THE DRC
TODAY.
¶3. (C) AFTER REVIEWING A NON-PAPER CONTAINING REF A
POINTS, MNANGAGWA SAID ZIMBABWE AGREED WITH ALL OF THE
POINTS EXCEPT ONE. CLARIFYING, MNANGAGWA EMPHASIZED THAT
THE ALLIES PLANNED TO MEET FIRST TO DISCUSS THE WAY
FORWARD, THEN RWANDA AND UGANDA WOULD BE ASKED TO JOIN
SUBSEQUENT DISCUSSIONS. THE SPEAKER INFORMED THE CHARGE
THAT THREE PRIMARY ISSUES WERE THE FOCUS OF THE GOZ’S
CURRENT INTERNAL DELIBERATIONS AND EFFORTS. FIRST,
ENSURING THAT THE DRC REMAINS CALM. HE THOUGHT THAT HAD
BEEN ACHIEVED SO FAR, AND OFFERED THE ASSESSMENT THAT
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 03 HARARE 00349 181034Z
JOSEPH KABILA’S APPOINTMENT AS INTERIM LEADER HAD BEEN
WELL-RECEIVED. SECOND, THE GOZ IS INVOLVED IN THE
ARRANGEMENTS FOR KABILA’S STATE FUNERAL, ALTHOUGH MNANGAGWA
WAS NOT SURE WHEN THE FUNERAL WOULD BE. THIRD, THE GOZ IS
DETERMINED THAT NOTHING SHOULD BE DONE TO JEOPARDIZE THE
PEACE PROCESS. ZIMBABWE, THEREFORE, EXPECTS THE NEW
ADMINISTRATION IN KINSHASA TO PRONOUNCE ITS COMMITMENT TO
THE LUSAKA PROCESS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
COMMENT
——-
¶4. (C) MNANGAGWA’S AGREEMENT WITH OUR POINTS WAS
ENCOURAGING, PARTICULARLY ON THE NEED TO INCLUDE RWANDA AND
UGANDA IN DISCUSSIONS ON NEXT STEPS. HIS EASE IN RATTLING
OFF THREE SENSIBLE POINTS SUGGESTS THAT THE SPEAKER OF
PARLIAMENT HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER OF ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT
PLANNING ON HOW TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION IN THE CONGO.
THAT SAID, HOWEVER, MNANGAGWA AND OTHERS IN THE GOZ ARE
CLEARLY WAITING FOR PRESIDENT MUGABE TO WEIGH IN BEFORE
PROCEEDING ON ANY FRONT, INCLUDING CONVENING THE INITIAL
MEETING OF ALLIES.
IRVING
CONFIDENTIAL
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