Ncube and Chinamasa were discussing draft constitution way back in 2003

Movement for Democratic Change secretary-general Welshman Ncube and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa were discussing “the latest draft” of the constitution way back in 2003.

Ncube told United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Joseph Sullivan that he was going to go through transitional issues and confidence building measures such as combating violence and reining in the militias with Chinamasa.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE1891, UPDATE ON SECRET CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS

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

171507Z Sep 03

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001891

SIPDIS

NOFORN

DEPT. FOR AF/KANSTEINER, AF/S/DELISI

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JFRAZER

PRETORIA FOR AMBASSADOR HUME

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2013

TAGS: PGOV PREL ZI

SUBJECT: UPDATE ON SECRET CONSTITUTIONAL TALKS

REF: HARARE 1719

Classified By: Political Officer Win Dayton under Sections 1.5(b)(d)

¶1. CONFIDENTIAL/NOFORN — PLEASE DO NOT DIVULGE TO OFFICIALS

OF FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.

¶2. (C) In a meeting in his law office September 16, MDC

Secretary General Welshman Ncube told Ambassador Sullivan

SIPDIS

that he was scheduled to meet with Justice Minister Patrick

Chinamasa September 21-24, after Chinamasa returned from WTO

meetings in Cancun and before he left town again on the 25th.

He said they intended to go over the latest draft of the

Constitution, transitional issues, and confidence-building

measures (combatting violence, reining in militias, etc.).

Ncube’s comments at the meeting on the MDC’s SADC outreach,

the bishops’ intitiative, The Daily News, and a Harvard

negotiating workshop are reported septel.

¶3. (C) COMMENT: The interparty constitutional talks remain

largely outside the public eye, although reports of the talks

are growing in circulation among selected interested parties.

Nonetheless, confidentiality will remain a sine qua non of

the talk’s chances for any success as the prinicipals

continue to engage constructively on significant issues. As

related reftel, the fragile discussions have come far but

have a long way to go, and may be entering a particularly

precarious phase as the parties begin to delve into more

controversial issues. In particular, “confidence-building

measures” would appear to depart from a strictly legal agenda

and drift into potentially more parlous political waters

heretofore carefully avoided.

SULLIVAN

(13 VIEWS)