Mnangagwa assures US embassy on peace in DRC

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

TAGS: PREL PGOV MOPS ZI CG

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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