Paper said Mugabe should negotiate even with the devil

The Daily News said way back in 2003 that President Robert Mugabe should negotiate not only with the Movement for Democratic Change but even with the devil himself if that was the only way to break the country’s political impasse and allow Zimbabwe a chance to make a fresh beginning.

The paper was commenting after Mugabe had called on the MDC to repent before there could be cooperation with his government.

Mugabe’s demand that others should repent, the paper, said was “arrogant hypocrisy of the worst kind…… The kind of arrogant hypocrisy the world has come to expect from the likes of Liberia’s embattled Charles Taylor”.

It went on: “But then Taylor was always an uncouth warlord prepared to do anything for the love of political power and diamonds. This is not the kind of behaviour that Zimbabweans want or expect from Robert Mugabe”.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE1607, MEDIA REACTION MUGABE/TAYLOR ARROGANT; 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.

131356Z Aug 03

UNCLAS HARARE 001607

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS

NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR GURNEY

PARIS FOR NEARY

NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI

SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION MUGABE/TAYLOR ARROGANT; HARARE

¶1.   Under headline “Alternative to dialogue” the

independent daily “The Daily News” dedicated its

August 13 editorial to urging Robert Mugabe to be

sincere in finding a durable solution to the current

political impasse in Zimbabwe, adding that Mugabe’s

“demand that others should repent” is “arrogant

hypocrisy of the worst kind. . .The kind of arrogant

hypocrisy the world has come to expect from the

likes of Liberia’s embattled Charles Taylor.”

Excerpts:

¶2.   “An unrepentant President Robert Mugabe on Monday used

Heroes’ Day. . .to inflict more despair and anguish on

crisis-weary Zimbabweans. When he could have used the

occasion to rally the nation behind the search for a

negotiated end to Zimbabwe’s bitter crisis, Mugabe single-

handedly tried to scuttle prospects for an end to the

country’s political impasse when he demanded that the

opposition `repent’ before there can be co-operation with

his government. . .That in the face of all this, Mugabe –

who as President of Zimbabwe bears the most responsibility

for the way things have fallen apart in this country – can

turn around and demand that others should repent and beg

for forgiveness is arrogant hypocrisy of the worst kind.

The kind of arrogant hypocrisy the world has come to expect

from the likes of Liberia’s embattled Charles

Taylor. . .But then Taylor was always an uncouth

warlord prepared to do anything for the love of

political power and diamonds. This is not the kind

of behavior that Zimbabweans want or expect from

Robert Mugabe. . .Zimbabweans expect Mugabe to

negotiate, not only with the opposition Movement for

Democratic Change (MDC), but with the devil himself

if that is the only way to break the country’s

political impasse and allow Zimbabwe a chance to

make a fresh beginning. . . .”

WHITEHEAD

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