Tanzania’s Foreign Minister Bernard Membe was thoroughly fed up with South African President Thabo Mbeki’s refusal to confront President Robert Mugabe even though there was evidence of ongoing violence and atrocities in the run-up to the 2008 presidential elections run-off.
Membe told United States ambassador to Tanzania Mark Green: “A state of war exists in Zimbabwe; how is it possible to conduct fair elections?”
Membe said that President Jakaya Kikwete had named the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, as his special Envoy from the African Union to travel to Harare to meet separately with Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai in search of a way forward.
Mugabe and Mbeki were “working hard” behind the scenes to quash the Southern African Development Community Troika gathering and the meetings Obasanjo was trying to schedule.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 08DARESSALAAM389, TANZANIA: FOREIGN MINISTER MEMBE CONFIRMS
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Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO2040
PP RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN RUEHROV
DE RUEHDR #0389 1761436
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 241436Z JUN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7636
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY 3323
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 1422
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0399
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0308
RUEHDS/USMISSION USAU ADDIS ABABA PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0078
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 000389
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR MJWILLS, AF/RSA FOR LMAZEL
AF/FO FOR FSANNEH
ALSO AF/E FOR JLIDDLE
ADDIS FOR AU MISSION
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2018
SUBJECT: TANZANIA: FOREIGN MINISTER MEMBE CONFIRMS
EMERGENCY SADC TROIKA MEETING ON ZIMBABWE TO BE JUNE 25 IN
SWAZILAND
REF: A. WILLS/AF COM EMAIL 6/22/08
¶B. DAR ES SALAAM 0382
Classified By: Ambassador Mark Green for reasons 1.4 (b,d).
¶1. (C) Bernard Membe, Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
and International Cooperation, told Ambassador Green in a
June 24 phone call that an emergency meeting of the leaders
of the Troika (Angola, Swaziland and Tanzania) of the SADC
Organ on Politics, Defense and Security (OPDS) will be held
in Swaziland beginning on June 25 (Ref A). According to
Membe, President dos Santos, the Chair of the Troika, is not
in good health, so asked the King of Swaziland to host the
meeting. “A state of war exists in Zimbabwe; how is it
possible to conduct fair elections?” Membe bemoaned.
¶2. (C) Membe also reported that President Kikwete has named
the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, as his
Special Envoy from the African Union to travel to Harare in
order to meet separately with Robert Mugabe and Morgan
Tsvangirai in search of a way forward. Minister Membe
confided to the Ambassador that the Government of Tanzania
(GOT) had learned that “behind the scenes” Robert Mugabe and
President Thabo Mbeki are “working hard” to quash the SADC
Troika gathering and the meetings Obasanjo is trying to
schedule. (Comment: The Ambassador noted that while he had
heard Membe criticize Mbeki previously, the Minister’s tone
in this discussion indicated he was thoroughly fed up with
Mbeki’s refusal to confront Mugabe, even though evidence of
the ongoing violence and atrocities in Zimbabwe are obvious.
End Comment.)
GREEN
(25 VIEWS)
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