Mugabe says ZIDERA is an insult to the people of Zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe described the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act as repugnant and provocative adding that it was a bold insult to the people of Zimbabwe and an intolerable insult to parliament.

He said this in his State of the Nation address which received front-page coverage in the Herald, but was on page two in the Daily News.

While the State-owned media concentrated on Mugabe’s criticism of the United States, the Daily News said Mugabe had evaded key issues.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE3798, MEDIA REPORT — MUGABE CRITICIZES U.S. IN STATE

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

191347Z Dec 01

UNCLASSIFIED     PTO2409

PAGE 01       HARARE 03798 191447Z

ACTION INR-00

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

——————4DBF22 191448Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0590

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003798

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: MEDIA REPORT — MUGABE CRITICIZES U.S. IN STATE

OF THE NATION ADDRESS

¶1.   PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE DEDICATED SEVERAL MINUTES OF

HIS DECEMBER 18 STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS TO CRITICISM OF

THE ZIMBABWE DEMOCRACY AND ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACT (ZDERA).

MUGABE DESCRIBED THE BILL AS “REPUGNANT AND PROVOCATIVE”

AND SAID THAT IT WAS “.A BOLD INSULT TO THE PEOPLE OF

ZIMBABWE. AN INTOLERABLE INSULT TO THIS HOUSE (THE

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE).” MUGABE’S CRITICISM WAS DIRECTED

PRIMARILY AT THE U.S. CONGRESS, ESPECIALLY AT SENATOR

HELMS, AND CHARACTERIZED ZDERA AS AN ASSAULT ON ZIMBABWE’S

SOVEREIGNTY.

¶2.   THE DECEMBER 19 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED

“HERALD” GAVE MUGABE’S SPEECH FRONT-PAGE PLAY UNDER THE

HEADLINE “PRESIDENT SLAMS U.S.” SUB-HEADS READ

“SOVEREIGNTY UNDER THREAT — SANCTIONS BID REPUGNANT,

PROVOCATIVE.”

¶3.   STATE-CONTROLLED ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION

(ZBC) RADIO AND TELEVISION LED THEIR DECEMBER 18 AND 19

NEWS PROGRAMS WITH REPORTS ON THE STATE OF THE NATION

SPEECH. ZBC REPORTING EMPHASIZED PRESIDENT MUGABE’S

ASSERTION THAT ZDERA STEMS FROM AN AMERICAN DESIRE TO

“PUNISH” ZIMBABWE FOR ITS LAND REFORM EFFORTS.

¶4.   THE DECEMBER 19 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE

DAILY NEWS” ALSO CARRIED AN ARTICLE ABOUT MUGABE’S ADDRESS,

BUT PUBLISHED IT ON PAGE 2 UNDER HEADLINE “MUGABE EVADES

KEY ISSUES.” THE “DAILY NEWS” REPORT FOCUSSED ON ISSUES

SUCH AS ZIMBABWE’S ECONOMIC PROBLEMS AND POLITICAL

VIOLENCE, ISSUES THE PAPER CLAIMS MUGABE OVERLOOKED IN HIS

ADDRESS. THE PAPER DID REPORT ON MUGABE’S CRITICISM OF THE

U.S., BUT GAVE IT ONLY ONE SENTENCE AT THE END OF THE

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 03798 191447Z

STORY.

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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