Mugabe trapped

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

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

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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