Mugabe not prepared to ditch Kabila to accommodate Masire

Although President Robert Mugabe wanted to bring his troops back from the Democratic Republic of Congo he was not likely to “fall on his sword to preserve (former Botswana President Ketumile) Masire in the role of facilitator”, the United States embassy said.

“Mugabe’s relationship with (Laurent) Kabila is too important to him to spoil it over an issue of principle that probably is not vital to Zimbabwe.”

Masire had been appointed the facilitator in the DRC peace talks by the Southern African Development Community but DRC President Laurent Kabila was against the appointment.

The United States embassy in Harare was concerned about this and ambassador Tom McDonald had gone to see Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was Mugabe’s point man on DRC issues to find out what Zimbabwe’s stance on Masire remaining the mediator was.

Mnangagwa said he and Mugabe were planning to go to the DRC in July to meet Kabila but he would not be drawn on whether Mugabe would use his influence to push Kabila to reverse his public stand against Masire.

 

Full cable:


Viewing cable 00HARARE3629, MUGABE AND MNANGAGWA TO GO TO CONGO TO DISCUSS

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Reference ID

Created

Released

Classification

Origin

00HARARE3629

2000-07-05 08:07

2011-08-30 01:44

CONFIDENTIAL

Embassy Harare

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

 

050807Z Jul 00

 

 

 

CONFIDENTIAL     PTO4623

 

PAGE 01       HARARE 03629 050804Z

ACTION AF-00

 

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00 SMEC-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00

DS-00   VC-00   H-01     TEDE-00 INR-00   IO-00   LAB-01

L-00     VCE-00   M-00     AC-01   NSAE-00 OIC-02   OMB-01

OPIC-01 PA-00   PM-00   PRS-00   ACE-00   P-00     SP-00

SSO-00   TRSE-00 USIE-00 PMB-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02   G-00

NFAT-00 SAS-00   SWCI-00   /009W

——————6A39F0 050804Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6500

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

AMEMBASSY LUANDA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY KAMPALA

AMEMBASSY KIGALI

AMEMBASSY KINSHASA

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 003629

 

SIPDIS

 

DEPT PLEASE PASS TO AF S/E HOWARD WOLPE

 

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/05/10

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 02       HARARE 03629 050804Z

TAGS: PGOV PREL CG ZI

SUBJECT: MUGABE AND MNANGAGWA TO GO TO CONGO TO DISCUSS

PROBLEMS WITH NATIONAL DIALOGUE

 

 

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD REASONS 1.5 B/D.

 

1. (C) AMBASSADOR MCDONALD CALLED MINISTER OF JUSTICE,

LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS EMMERSON MNANGAGWA THE

AFTERNOON OF JULY 4 TO LEARN WHERE ZIMBABWE STANDS ON

THE QUESTION OF FORMER BOTSWANA PRESIDENT SIR KETUMILE

MASIRE REMAINING AS THE NATIONAL OIALOGUE FACILITATOR IN

THE CONGO. NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION DIRECTLY, THE

MINISTER, WHO IS PRESIDENT MUGABE’S POINT MAN ON

SENSITIVE ISSUES WITH RESPECT TO THE CONGO, INFORMED THE

AMBASSADOR THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE AND HE, AND MAYBE A

FOREIGN MINISTRY REPRESENTATIVE, PLANNED TO TRAVEL TO

LUBUMBASHI AT A STILL UNSPECIFIED DATE THE WEEK OF JULY

10 TO MEET WITH PRESIDENT KABILA AND HIS ADVISORS TO

DISCUSS THIS AND OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE CONGO.

MNANGAGWA WOULD NOT BE DRAWN ON WHETHER PRESIDENT MUGABE

WOULD USE HIS INFLUENCE TO PUSH KABILA FURTHER TO

REVERSE HIS PUBLIC STAND AGAINST MASIRE.

 

2. (C) THE AMBASSADOR THEN TOLD THE MINISTER THAT

WASHINGTON WAS SEIZED WITH THE ISSUE AND HOPED THAT

PRESIDENT MUGABE COULD PREVAIL ON HIS CONGOLESE

COUNTERPART TO ACCEPT MASIRE. THE MINISTER AND THE

AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED THE POSSIBILITY OF SPECIAL ENVOY

HOWARD WOLPE VISITING HARARE SOON TO DISCUSS THESE

ISSUES AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF THE ZIMBABWEAN

GOVERNMENT. MNANGAGWA REPLIED THAT THAT WAS ALL FINE,

CONFIDENTIAL

 

PAGE 03       HARARE 03629 050804Z

BUT SUGGESTED THAT S/E WOLPE CONSIDER DEFERRING HIS

TRAVEL TO THE WEEK OF JULY 17 OR 24, DEPENDING ON WHEN

THE LUBUMBASHI MEETING TOOK PLACE.

 

3. (C) COMMENT: CLEARLY MUGABE WANTS TO BRING HIS

TROOPS HOME, BUT WE SENSE THAT HE WILL NOT FALL ON HIS

SWORD TO PRESERVE MASIRE IN THE ROLE OF FACILITATOR.

MUGABE’S RELATIONSHIP WITH KABILA IS TOO IMPORTANT TO

HIM TO SPOIL IT OVER AN ISSUE OF PRINCIPLE THAT PROBABLY

IS NOT VITAL TO ZIMBABWE. WE WELCOME A VISIT BY S/E

WOLPE TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE, BUT SUGGEST HE NOT COME WITH

GREAT EXPECTATIONS OF PERSUADING THE ZIMBABWEANS

OTHERWISE. END COMMENT.

 

MCDONALD

 

CONFIDENTIAL

 

>

 

(51 VIEWS)

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