Shamuyarira accuses US and UK of backing a coup

Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira accused the United States and Britain of backing what he called a coup d’état.

He was commenting on the proposed week-long anti-government demonstration that had been called on by the Movement for Democratic Change to force President Robert Mugabe to step down.

“An illegal assembly organizing military coup cannot be called peaceful and democratic. It is shocking that the Government of Britain and US should support such a demonstration,” Shamuyarira said.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 03HARARE1095, MEDIA REPORT U. S./UK UNDER FIRE FROM ZANU PF;

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

UNCLAS HARARE 001095

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PDPA DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS, AF/S RAYNOR

NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR GURNEY

PARIS FOR NEARY

NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT U. S./UK UNDER FIRE FROM ZANU PF;

HARARE

ZANU-PF Secretary for Information and Publicity, Nathan

Shamuyarira, has accused the United States and Britain of

backing week-long mass protests, called by the opposition

Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to pressure Robert

Mugabe to a negotiating table. According to an article

carried on page 2 in the June 2 edition of the government-

controlled daily “The Herald,” under headline “ZANU-PF

deplores U. S., UK,” Shamuyaririra – in a statement issued

in Harare yesterday – said it was a shock that the U. S.

and Britain were supporting a demonstration whose intention

is to engage in a coup d’etat. “An illegal assembly

organizing military coup cannot be called peaceful and

democratic. It is shocking that the Government of Britain

and U. S. should support such a demonstration,” Shamuyarira

is quoted as saying.

SULLIVAN

(21 VIEWS)