Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who was under pressure from his lieutenants to deal with President Robert Mugabe, pressured Mugabe to release human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and others after they had been sent back to jail on the instructions of attorney-general Johannes Tomana.
Mugabe summoned Minister of Justice Patrick Chinamasa and instructed him to facilitate their release.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 09HARARE372, MDC FOCUSES ON OUTSTANDING ISSUES; DETAINEES
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Reference ID |
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Classification |
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VZCZCXRO7801
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSB #0372/01 1261452
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 061452Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4448
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 2803
RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2924
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 1367
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 2187
RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 2552
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2972
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 5413
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2096
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000372
SIPDIS
AF/S FOR B.WALCH
DRL FOR N. WILETT
ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU
ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS
STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2019
SUBJECT: MDC FOCUSES ON OUTSTANDING ISSUES; DETAINEES
RELEASED
Classified By: CDA Katherine Dhanani for Reason 1.4 (d)
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Following a May 6 MDC Standing Committee
meeting, party Secretary General Tendai Biti held a press
conference to announce that the MDC expected action in the
next ten days on outstanding issues under the Global
Political Agreement, including the appointments of the
Reserve Bank (RBZ) Governor and the Attorney General.
Separately, after Tsvangirai raised the issue with Mugabe,
the detainees who were returned to jail on May 5 were
released. It appears the MDC’s patience is wearing thin but
it is not yet clear what the party will do if its demands are
not met. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (C) The MDC’s Roy Bennett briefed us on the MDC Standing
Committee meeting held today. The Committee is comprised of
the 12 highest MDC officials; 9 attended the meeting. Biti
and Chamisa in particular pressured Tsvangirai to resolve
outstanding issues. The Committee agreed that all
outstanding issues should be resolved at a meeting of
principals on May 11, which should be the last principals
meeting on these issues. If all are not resolved, the MDC
National Council, scheduled to meet on May 17, will consider
next steps.
¶3. (C) Of note regarding outstanding issues, the Committee
took the position that Attorney General Tomana, in addition
to RBZ Governor Gono, should go. The MDC’s position is that
both were appointed in violation of the September 15
Inter-Party Agreement and that their positions should be
filled by Mugabe and Tsvangirai acting together. As to
Bennett, the MDC position is that since under Zimbabwean law
he is innocent until proven guilty, Mugabe cannot use pending
charges against him as an excuse not to swear him in.
Tsvangirai instructed him to report to work as Deputy
Minister of Agriculture next Monday.
¶4. (SBU) Subsequent to the Committee meeting, Biti in his
capacity as MDC Secretary General held a press conference and
summarized the decisions taken by the Committee. In addition
to outstanding issues, he emphasized that Tsvangirai was due
respect as prime minister by the security forces — a respect
which has been pointedly lacking. He also decried a
continuing media war by the government press, radio, and
television that refuses to acknowledge the MDC as equal
partners in government.
¶5. (SBU) Biti was directly asked if, in light of continuing
problems, the new governmental arrangement had failed. He
firmly rejected the premise of the question, and stated that
on balance the forces of change and progress outweighed the
negative. He acknowledged there were “land mines” that
needed to be cleared.
¶6. (C) MDC sources told us that at a principals meeting
yesterday that had already been scheduled, Tsvangirai raised
the issue of the remand to custody of Jestina Mukoko and
others. Mugabe summoned Minister of Justice Patrick
Chinamasa and instructed him to facilitate their release. We
understand that defense attorneys subsequently met with
Qunderstand that defense attorneys subsequently met with
Attorney General Tomana who promised they would be released
today.
¶7. (SBU) We learned that, with the exception of the three at
Avenues Clinic under police guard, all were released. The
three are subject to a separate court process since they were
already in custody when the others were remanded yesterday.
They have bail hearings scheduled tomorrow.
——-
COMMENT
HARARE 00000372 002 OF 002
——-
¶8. (C) Tsvangirai has preferred a low-key approach to
resolving outstanding issues. Biti, Chamisa, and others,
have become impatient and are forcing the issue by pressuring
Tsvangirai, and going public and giving Mugabe a deadline.
Since the MDC has resolved to stay in government, the
unanswered question is what it will do if it does not receive
satisfaction on the clearly-defined outstanding issues. END
COMMENT.
DHANANI
(15 VIEWS)
