President Robert Mugabe was trapped by the international community into signing the Abuja Agreement as this was going to show his true colours, the Financial Gazette said in its take on the Commonwealth brokered agreement.
The paper said Mugabe might have seen the accord as giving him breathing space in the face of international sanctions by both the European Union and the United States but he had in fact been trapped.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE2701, MEDIA REACTION LAND REFORM IN 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.
131511Z Sep 01
UNCLASSIFIED PTQ0561
PAGE 01 HARARE 02701 131540Z
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 TEDE-00 LAB-01 VCE-00
NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02
NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W
——————1EBCC1 131541Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9707
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY ABUJA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
UNCLAS HARARE 002701
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P,
INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION LAND REFORM IN ZIMBABWE –
ABUJA ACCORD; HARARE
¶1. THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY “THE FINANCIAL GAZETTE”
DEDICATED ITS SEPTEMBER 13 EDITORIAL TO THE ABUJA LAND
ACCORD BROKERED BY NIGERIA. UNDER HEADLINE “BEYOND
ABUJA,” THE PAPER COMMENTS:
¶2. “. . .IN SIGNING UP TO ABUJA, MUGABE MAY INDEED
SEE THE PACT AS GIVING HIM BREATHING SPACE IN THE FACE
OF IMMINENT AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN SANCTIONS AGAINST
HIM AND HIS TOP ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS. BUT THE
REALITY ON THE GROUND – IN TERMS OF TIMING – IS THAT
THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN TRAPPED BY THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY TO FINALLY SHOW HIS TRUE COLORS BY FULLY
DELIVERING ON THE LAST-DITCH ACCORD. . . UNTIL HE
MOVES ON THESE CRITICAL ISSUES, FUNDING WILL CLEARLY
REMAIN ELUSIVE – JUST AS BEFORE ABUJA. . . SOMEHOW HE
MUST WALK A TIGHT ROPE AND JUST HOPE AND PRAY NOT TO
STUMBLE AND FALL BY THE WAYSIDE. WHILE WE TAKE NOTE
OF HIS RARE COURAGE TO TRY TO REVERSE ZIMBABWE’S
DESCENT INTO ANARCHY. . .HE MUST NOW RAPIDLY TRANSLATE
THE AGREEMENT INTO VISIBLE ACTION. . . IT WOULD BE A
GOOD GESTURE IF THE PRESIDENT TOOK DECISIVE ACTION
IMMEDIATELY SO THAT, BY THE TIME HE ATTENDS THE
COMMONWEALTH SUMMIT IN AUSTRALIA NEXT MONTH, HE AND
ZIMBABWE WOULD BE BREATHING EASIER AGAIN.”
ROTH
UNCLASSIFIED
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