SADC betrays Zimbabweans

The Southern African Development Community had betrayed Zimbabweans by failing to put pressure on President Robert Mugabe to abandon his ruinous policies that had brought the country to its knees, the Daily News said in 2003.

The regional body was about to make things even worse by calling on the West to lift travel restrictions on Mugabe and his lieutenants.

“Clearly it is more important for SADC that Mugabe, his officials and their families are able to travel across the globe as they wish than that the misery they have caused in Zimbabwe is ended.

“Claims by SADC leaders that there is progress in Zimbabwe, that there is thawing of relations between Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change are mere lies that should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve,“ the paper said.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE1671, MEDIA REACTION EDITORIALS AGAINST LIFTING OF

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UNCLAS HARARE 001671

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 EDITORIALS AGAINST LIFTING OF

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON MUGABE AND GOZ OFFICIALS; HARARE

¶1.   Back to back editorials in the August 25 edition of

the independent daily “The

Daily News” and the July 24 edition of its sister

weekly “The Daily News on Sunday” are against the

call for the lifting of travel and economic

restrictions imposed on Robert Mugabe and Zimbabwe

government officials by the United States, European

Union (EU), Australia and Switzerland . Excerpts

follow:

¶2.   Under headline “Zimbabweans betrayed again” the “Daily

News” (08/25) comments:

“As if their inaction as Zimbabwe collapsed was not

enough betrayal, southern African leaders now want

to scuttle efforts by others to try and pressure the

government to abandon its ruinous policies that have

brought this once prosperous nation to its knees.

Southern African Development Community (SADC)

ministers meeting in Tanzania last Saturday called

for the lifting of travel and financial sanctions

imposed on President Robert Mugabe and his

officials. . .by the EU, Australia, Switzerland and

¶U. S. A. . .Clearly it is more important for SADC

that Mugabe, his officials and their families are

able to travel across the globe as they wish than

that the misery they have caused in Zimbabwe is

ended. Claims by SADC leaders that there is

progress in Zimbabwe, that there is thawing of

relations between Mugabe and his ruling ZANU PF and

the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)

are mere lies that should be dismissed with the

contempt they deserve. . .Whatever the case, SADC

has a choice to either be on the same side with

tormented Zimbabweans or it will become irrelevant.”

¶3.   Under headline “Lessons on sanctions” the “Daily News

on Sunday” (08/24) comments:

“. . .Sanctions are designed to punish regimes which

ignore with impunity the rules of the democratic

game and expect other players to treat them with

respect. Muammar Gaddafi took long to pay

compensation for the Lockerbie disaster. But the

sanctions must have convinced him that paying up was

a healthier option than continuing on the stubborn

path to the economic ruin of his country. .

.Rhodesia faced united Nations sanctions; Zimbabwe

does not. There is no U. N. resolution for

sanctions on the country. . .The `sanctions’ are

nowhere near what Rhodesia faced, yet the effect is

far more

devastating. . .Most of the sanctions have been

imposed on individuals of the arrogant regime. To

tell the people that calling for an end to these

`smart’ sanctions is everyone’s patriotic duty is

nonsensical. If the end of sanctions strengthens

ZANU PF’s capacity to inflict more pain on the

people, then they cannot in all conscience support

such calls.”

SULLIVAN

(23 VIEWS)