The Daily News said Zimbabwe should allow international observers to observe the 2002 presidential poll because this would erase in one fell swoop President Robert Mugabe’s odious reputation of “a power-crazed, aged dictator”.
It would also demonstrate, once and for all, that the government had enough confidence in its popularity with voters not to be frightened of a level playing field.
Insisting that Zimbabwe was a sovereign state which would not be dictated to by other countries was all very well, but it was hardly worthwhile if it turned the country into a renegade state, shunned by the rest of the world.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 01HARARE3741, MEDIA REPORT PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
172006Z Dec 01
UNCLASSIFIED PTQ1236
PAGE 01 HARARE 03741 172104Z
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 EPAE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00
DRL-02 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /004W
——————4CC636 172104Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0555
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 003741
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
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT PRESIDENTIAL POLL; HARARE
¶1. THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY NEWS” USED ITS
DECEMBER 14 EDITORIAL TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE TO
ALLOW AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION AND INTERNATIONAL ELECTION
OBSERVERS TO SUPERVISE AND OBSERVE THE 2002 PRESIDENTIAL
POLL. UNDER HEADLINE “AN ELECTION NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED
BY OTHERS,” THE PAPER COMMENTS:
¶2. “A NUMBER OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES AMONG THEM THE U.S. AND
THE COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, HAVE THREATENED NOT TO
RECOGNIZE THE RESULT OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION TO BE
HELD IN MARCH, IF THEY DEEM IT NOT TO HAVE BEEN FREE AND
FAIR. AN ELECTION SUPERVISED BY AN INDEPENDENT COMMISSION
COULD GIVE THE GOVERNMENT AN INTERNATIONAL IMAGE HIGHLY
COVETED BY ANY DEVELOPING COUNTRY HAVING DIFFICULT
BORROWING MONEY FROM ANYWHERE BECAUSE OF ITS PARIAH STATUS.
ALLOWING INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVERS INTO THE COUNTRY
WOULD ERASE IN ONE FELL SWOOP MUGABE’S ODIOUS REPUTATION OF
‘A POWER-CRAZED, AGED DICTATOR,’ TO QUOTE ED ROYCE, A U. S.
CONGRESSMAN. IT WOULD DEMONSTRATE, ONCE AND FOR ALL, THAT
THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOTHING TO HIDE, THAT IT HAD ENOUGH
CONFIDENCE IN ITS POPULARITY WITH THE VOTERS NOT TO BE
FRIGHTENED OF A LEVEL ELECTION PLAYING FIELD. BUT WHAT
THEY HAVE DONE, INSTEAD, IS TO HARP ON THE FACT THAT
ZIMBABWE IS A SOVEREIGN STATE WHICH WILL NOT BE DICTATED TO
BY OTHER COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY THE FORMER COLONIAL MASTER.
SOVEREIGNTY IS ALL VERY WELL, BUT IF IT TURNS THE COUNTRY
INTO A RENEGADE STATE, SHUNNED BY THE REST OF THE CIVILIZED
WORLD, IT’S HARDLY WORTHWHILE. TO PUT IT MILDLY, THE
GOVERNMENT IS NERVOUS ABOUT GOING INTO AN ELECTION WHERE
THE PLAYING FIELD IS ABSOLUTELY LEVEL.”
SULLIVAN
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 03741 172104Z
UNCLASSIFIED
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