Tsvangirai was prepared to consider coalition with Mnangagwa

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai was prepared to consider a coalition with the Emmerson Mnangagwa faction of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

This is contained in a cable classified by United States embassy Charge d’Affaires Eric T. Schultz in July 2005 but the cable is incomplete and does not give details.

It only says in the summary that Tsvangirai reported that the main ZANU-PF factions were courting the MDC, but for different reasons.

The MDC was likely to consider a coalition with the Mnangagwa faction “for opportunistic purposes if the conditions were right”.

The Mnangagwa faction had suffered a severe blow at the time following its foiled attempt to stop the party from electing Joice Mujuru vice-President.

Mnangagwa himself had been demoted to the mediocre post of Minister of Rural Housing.

Some analysts, however, argue that this was not a demotion but a strategic move to enable Mnangagwa to get the crucial rural vote especially in Matabeleland where he had a bad reputation as he was linked to the Gukurahundi massacres of the 1980s.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 05HARARE1034, OPPOSITION LEADER ON DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS, POLITICAL

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

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USEU BRUSSELS

USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 001034

SIPDIS

AF/S FOR B. NEULING

NSC FOR SENQFRICA DIRECTOR C. COURVILLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2010

TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM ZI MDC

SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER ON DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS, POLITICAL

MANUVERING

Classified By: Charge d’Affaires Eric T. Schultz under Section 1.4 b/d

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Summary

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¶1. MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai on July 26 told the CDA

that he supported efforts by outside parties, including the

AU and the UN, to get more engaged on Zimbabwe. He

complimented the recently released report of UN Envoy

Tibaijuka and called for the appointment of a UNCHR

rapporteur for Zimbabwe. He remained critical of Pretoria

but accepted that the SAG played a pivotal role on Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai reported that each of the main ZANU-PF factions

SIPDIS

were courting the MDC, though for very different reasons.

The MDC would consider a coalition with the Managagwa faction

for opportunistic purposes if the conditions were right. He

closed by noting his continued interest in a Washington

visit, but that it would need to wait until the party was

&remobilized.8 End Summary.

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On Obasanjo and AU Effort

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¶2. (C) Tsvangirai gave CDA a readout of his meeting with

Nigerian President Obasanjo in the run-up to the African

summit in Tripoli in early July. He said Obasanjo had

explained that the AU had initially failed to grasp the scale

and impact of Operation Restore Order and had therefore

initially described it as an &internal matter.8 It had

been at Obsanjo,s urging that the AU had subsequently sent

an official to Harare to investigate the operation. (N.B.

The official never received GOZ accreditation and never left

his Harare hotel before departing the country.)

¶3. (C) Tsvangirai said Obasanjo had raised the idea of an AU

mission headed by ex-Mozambican President Chissano to broker

inter-party talks on the country’s deteriorating situation.

Tsvangirai said he told Obasanjo that the MDC had no

SIPDIS

objections to mediation efforts by the AU. The Nigerian

President said he would also discuss the mission with Mugabe

in Tripoli. Tsvangirai noted that media reports indicated

that Obasanjo had been true to his word in approaching Mugabe

but that Mugabe, after reportedly being receptive to

Obasanjo, had publicly scotched the notion of inter-party

talks. Tsvangirai added that this initiative still had great

potential and he urged that it receive international support.

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Accepts SAG Role; But Still Wary of Mbeki

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¶4. Tsvangirai said on his return from Nigeria through South

Africa he had discussed with Mbeki Zimbabwe’s deepening

humanitarian crisis in the wake of Operation Restore Order.

He said Mbeki had expressed concern over the humanitarian

situation and had recounted his exchange with UNSYG Annan,

who had expressed similar concerns. Mbeki had said the SAG’s

next steps on Zimbabwe would await release of UN Special

Envoy Tibaijuka’s report (since released) on Restore Order

but had pledged to pursue his concerns with Mugabe at

Tripoli.

¶5. (C) Tsvangirai said Mbeki had dismissed Obasanjo’s efforts

on Zimbabwe, which Tsvangirai said reflected Mbeki’s priority

on being part of any talks. Tsvangirai said the MDC accepted

that South Africa would remain a key player on Zimbabwe.

However, he said the SAG remained biased and the GOZ’s

principal international protector. The South African Deputy

President’s recent visit, for instance, had been to warn the

GOZ about the likely negative cast of Tibaijuka’s report. In

that vein, Tsvangirai doubted that reported SAG

conditionality in loan negotiations with the GOZ would amount

to much. He also noted reports that South Africa and other

Africans were working vigorously behind the scenes to thwart

placement of Zimbabwe on the UNSC agenda, as was China, which

Tsvangirai said had been the principal objective of Mugabe,s

S

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