Vice-President Simon Muzenda asked United States President George Bush to assist in condemning all those elements in the political arena who seemed bent on pursuing their political ambitions through acts of terror.
Promising that Zimbabwe would hold free and fair presidential elections in March 2002, Muzenda said in a letter to Bush that the Zimbabwean government would rally solidly behind Bush’s condemnation of all those who sponsored and gave comfort to terrorism.
The Bush administration blamed the violence in the run up to the elections on President Robert Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.
Commenting on Muzenda’s letter to Bush, United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Joseph Sullivan said the letter showed that Zimbabwe was still seeking improved relations with the United States but the arguments were neither new nor convincing.
Besides, he said, in the convoluted logic of Zimbabwe, the government appeared to have waited until Mugabe left for Madrid for medical treatment by an eye specialist before sending the letter to avoid the appearance of Mugabe asking for favours and the possibility of a rebuff.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE3635, LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM ACTING PRESIDENT
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
051328Z Dec 01
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8210
PAGE 01 HARARE 03635 01 OF 02 051433Z
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——————4754FC 051434Z /07
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0470
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 003635
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
ADDIS ABABA PLEASE PASS TO A/S KANSTEINER
E.O. 12958: DECL. 12/05/11
SUBJECT: LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM ACTING PRESIDENT
MUZENDA
REF: HARARE 3527
CLASSIFIED BY POLITICAL SECTION CHIEF MATT HARRINGTON.
REASONS: 1.5 (B) AND (D).
¶1. (C) IN A DECEMBER 5 MEETING WITH THE AMBASSADOR, MFA
DIVISION DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS DELIVERED A
LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM ACTING PRESIDENT SIMON
MUZENDA. THIS IS LIKELY THE LETTER PROMISED BY ZANU-PF
INFORMATION SECRETARY NATHAN SHAMUYARIRA IN A NOVEMBER 20
MEETING WITH THE AMBASSADOR (REFTEL). THE SIGNED ORIGINAL
HAS BEEN POUCHED TO AF/S.
¶2. (C) BEGIN TEXT:
4 DECEMBER 2001
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT,
I HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING CLOSELY THE DISCUSSIONS IN CONGRESS
CONCERNING THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE, AND
ESPECIALLY THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN MY COUNTRY. I HAVE
ALSO BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE CONCERNS WHICH YOUR GOVERNMENT
HAS ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS,
ESPECIALLY YOUR DOUBTS AS TO WHETHER THEY WILL BE FREE AND
FAIR.
MAY I RESPOND TO THESE CONCERNS BY AFFIRMING TO YOU, MR.
PRESIDENT, OUR SENSE OF COMMON BELIEF AND COMMITMENT WITH
THE GOVERNMENT, CONGRESS AND THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA ON ALL FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF GOOD
GOVERNANCE AND OTHER VEXING CONCERNS OF OUR TIME. WE WISH
TO BUILD OUR RELATIONS WITH YOUR COUNTRY UPON THIS BASIS.
MY GOVERNMENT AND PARTY WISH FURTHER TO AFFIRM TO YOU OUR
BELIEF IN AND COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE,
PRESS FREEDOM, FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS, ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY, ANTI-TERRORISM, THE RULE OF LAW AND THE
SEPARATION OF POWERS BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE, JUDICIARY AND
THE LEGISLATURE. WE BELIEVE FIRMLY IN CONSTITUTIONAL
GOVERNANCE. NOTHING IN OUR POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES WILL
NEGATE THESE FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS DURING OUR TERM OF OFFICE.
AS REGARDS THE FORTHCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS, I WISH
TO ALLAY ANY DOUBTS AND ANXIETIES YOU MAY HAVE ABOUT THEIR
CONDUCT BY AFFIRMING TO YOU THAT MY GOVERNMENT AND PARTY
WILL TAKE ALL ACTIONS NECESSARY AND DESIRABLE UNDER OUR
LAWS TO ENSURE THAT THE ELECTIONS ARE FREE AND FAIR, AND
ESPECIALLY TO ENSURE THAT EVERY VOTER IS ENABLED TO MAKE A
FREE AND FEARLESS CHOICE OF WHOM THEY WANT AS THEIR NEXT
PRESIDENT. AS YOU MAY BE AWARE, MR. ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE
WILL BE MY PARTY’S CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT.
IT IS OUR ASSESSMENT THAT HE REMAINS THE BEST HOPE FOR OUR
COUNTRY AND THAT THE PEOPLE WILL CAST THEIR VERDICT IN HIS
FAVOUR.
MR. MUGABE NEEDS YOUR GOOD WISHES. HE SEEKS YOUR
ASSISTANCE ESPECIALLY IN THE CONDEMNATION OF ALL THOSE
ELEMENTS IN THE POLITICAL ARENA, LOCAL AND FOREIGN, WHO
SEEM BENT ON PURSUING THEIR POLITICAL AMBITIONS THROUGH
ACTS OF TERROR. MY GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE RALLY SOLIDLY
BEHIND YOUR CONDEMNATION OF ALL THOSE WHO SPONSOR AND GIVE
COMFORT TO TERRORISM.
FINALLY, I WISH TO ASSURE YOU THAT MY GOVERNMENT WILL
INVITE FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS, INSTITUTIONS AND PROMINENT
INDIVIDUALS TO COME AND OBSERVE THE ELECTORAL PROCESS
BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS. YOUR
GOVERNMENT IS OBVIOUSLY AMONG THE GOVERNMENTS THAT
IMMEDIATELY COME TO OUR MIND AS WE CONSIDER WHO SHOULD
OBSERVE OUR ELECTIONS.
WHILE THE SITUATIONS IN OUR COUNTRIES ARE NOT IDENTICAL, I
AM OF THE FIRM BELIEF THAT WE CAN HAVE, AS I BELIEVE WE DO
ALREADY, A SHARED COMMITMENT TO THE NEED FOR ACCOUNTABLE
GOVERNMENTS, THE PRINCIPLES OF FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY, THE RULE
OF LAW, FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS AND ANTI-TERRORISM. WE
WILL PLAY OUR PART IN FULL TO REALIZE THESE GOALS.
KINDLY ACCEPT, MR. PRESIDENT, MY GOOD WISHES TO YOU FOR
YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH AND THE ASSURANCES OF MY HIGHEST
REGARD.
SIMON MUZENDA
ACTING PRESIDENT
END TEXT.
¶3. (C) COMMENT: IN THE CONVOLUTED LOGIC OF ZIMBABWE, THE
GOZ APPEARS TO HAVE WAITED UNTIL PRESIDENT MUGABE LEFT FOR
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL PTQ8211
PAGE 01 HARARE 03635 02 OF 02 051434Z
ACTION AF-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 INL-00 DODE-00 DOTE-00
WHA-00 DS-00 EAP-00 EB-00 EUR-00 FAAE-00 FBIE-00
VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NSAE-00 EPAE-00 DSCC-00
DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /002W
——————47550B 051434Z /07
O 051328Z DEC 01
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0471
INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE
AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 HARARE 003635
SIPDIS
NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER
ADDIS ABABA PLEASE PASS TO A/S KANSTEINER
E.O. 12958: DECL. 12/05/11
SUBJECT: LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH FROM ACTING PRESIDENT
MUZENDA
MADRID FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT BY AN EYE SPECIALIST IN ORDER
TO AVOID THE APPEARANCE OF MUGABE ASKING FOR FAVORS AND THE
POSSIBILITY OF REBUFF. WHILE THE ARGUMENTS ARE NEITHER NEW
NOR CONVINCING, THE LETTER SHOWS A GOZ STILL SEEKING
IMPROVED RELATIONS WITH THE U.S., EVEN AS IT WRITES OFF THE
E.U. AND SOUTH AFRICA.
CONFIDENTIAL
PAGE 02 HARARE 03635 02 OF 02 051434Z
SULLIVAN
CONFIDENTIAL
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