Powell under fire

United States secretary of State Colin Powell came under fire for writing an op-ed column in the New York Times critical of President Robert Mugabe.

An unnamed correspondent of The Herald wrote on 27 June 2003: “I have always asked how much Zimbabwe is worth. Is it worth the filthy American dollars Colin Powell is now promising gullible and useless Zimbabweans so that they betray President Mugabe?

“My answer is that Zimbabwe is worth much more than Powell is promising us in the form of aid. . .

“Powell is relying on lies from the US and British embassies in Harare and also from the sell-outs in the MDC ……”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE1378, MEDIA REACTION POWELL OP-ED ON ZIM UNDER FIRE;

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UNCLAS HARARE 001378

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SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION POWELL OP-ED ON ZIM UNDER FIRE;

HARARE

¶1.   The lead article in the June 27 edition of the

government-controlled daily “The Herald” and an

op-ed in the same edition collectively criticize

Secretary of State Colin Powell for writing an op-ed

column in the “New York Times” criticizing Robert

Mugabe’s government. Excerpts follow:

¶2.   Under headline “Fuel talks continue: Leaders attack U.

S.’ renewed onslaught against Harare” the “The Herald”

(06/27) carried the following article by Itai Musengengeyi,

who filed the report from Tripoli, Libya where Robert

Mugabe is consumed in bilateral talks with his counterpart

Colonel Muammar Gadaffi:

“President Mugabe and his Libyan counterpart Colonel

Muammar Gaddafi. . .on their first round of

consultations on Wednesday. . .noted with concern

the United States’ renewed onslaught on Zimbabwe and

agreed that the AU Summit should unambiguously

condemn Western imperialism. This followed U. S.

Secretary of State Mr. Colin Powell’s criticism of

Zimbabwe’s land reform, which he claimed had not

benefited ordinary people. . . .”

¶3.   Under headline “Keep your aid, U. S.: West, MDC

peddling lies on Zimbabwe” the same newspaper carried the

following op-ed on page 27 by an unnamed “correspondent”:

“I have always asked how much Zimbabwe is worth. Is

it worth the filthy American dollars Colin Powell is

now promising gullible and useless Zimbabweans so

that they betray President Mugabe? My answer is

that Zimbabwe is worth much more than Powell is

promising us in the form of aid. . .Powell is

relying on lies from the U. S. and British embassies

in Harare and also from the sellouts in the MDC

(Movement for Democratic Change). The violence he

talks about is being perpetrated by the MDC and not

the government of Zimbabwe. . .Powell is the worst

hypocrite I have ever seen. He dances to the tune

of his masters. U. S. President George Bush knows

that if he talks too much on Zimbabwe it would be

viewed as racism and he sends his Uncle Tom in the

form of Powell to do his dirty work. What a shame.

. .To Powell, we say keep your filthy dollars to

yourself and we will keep our country. . .Keep your

aid and channel it to the families of those whose

bread-winners were killed in Iraq after you lied to

the world that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass

destruction. . . .”

SULLIVAN

(27 VIEWS)