US could cut aid to Zimbabwe over a US$210 000 debt

The United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Tom McDonald warned President Robert Mugabe that the United States could cut aid to Zimbabwe if the country did not repay a debt of US$210 000 to the United States Agency for International Development by the “drop-dead” date of 30 December, 2000.

He said this during his farewell meeting with Mugabe where he once again stressed that the government should move forward on a transparent, orderly and sustainable land reform programme.

McDonald who seemed to have taken a few tips from Finance Minister Simba Makoni a few weeks earlier emphasised that the move could accrue domestic political advantage for Mugabe, to which Mugabe replied: “We will try”.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 00HARARE6993, AMBASSADOR’S FAREWELL CALL: MUGABE STILL BITTER

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

130905Z Dec 00

CONFIDENTIAL     PTO4742

PAGE 01       HARARE 06993 270838Z

ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AGRE-00 AID-00   ACQ-00   CIAE-00 DODE-00

SRPP-00 DS-00   VC-00   TEDE-00 INR-00   IO-00   VCE-00

NSAE-00 OIC-02   SSO-00   SS-00   STR-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02

NFAT-00 SAS-00     /004W

——————AFFAA8 270838Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7826

INFO NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE

SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

AMEMBASSY NAIROBI

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 006993

SIPDIS

NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR GAYLE SMITH

LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY

PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS

NAIROBI FOR AMBASSADOR CARSON

PASS USAID FOR A/AID R. MCALL, AA/AFR V. DERRYCK AND

AFR/SA C. PALMA

PASS USTR FOR ROSA WHITAKER

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 02       HARARE 06993 270838Z

E.O. 12958: DECL: (12-13-2010)

TAGS: PREL PGOV EAID EAGR ZI US

SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR’S FAREWELL CALL: MUGABE STILL BITTER

ABOUT BRITISH BUT SAYS HE WILL KEEP AN OPEN MIND ON

MALLOCH-BROWN INITIATIVE

REF: HARARE 6981 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL)

CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR TOM MCDONALD FOR REASONS 1.5

(B) AND (D).

¶1. (C) PRESIDENT MUGABE RECEIVED ME DECEMBER 13 FOR A

ONE HALF-HOUR FAREWELL CALL. WHILE THE ATMOSPHERICS OF

THE MEETING WERE GOOD AND LIGHT, I DID MANAGE TO

INTERRUPT THE START OF A TIRADE AGAINST THE BRITISH BY

ADVANCING THE ARGUMENT THAT MUGABE SHOULD TO GIVE UNDP

ADMINISTRATOR MARK MALLOCH-BROWN’S INITIATIVE A CHANCE

AND TO REMAIN OPEN TO IT (REF). I SUGGESTED THAT THE

GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE AND THE UNDP AGREE ON THREE OR

FOUR BASIC PRINCIPLES AND MOVE FORWARD ON A TRANSPARENT,

ORDERLY AND SUSTAINABLE LAND REFORM PROGRAM. THE

PRESIDENT COUNTERED, “WHAT CAN MALLOCH-BROWN DO, THE

POOR MAN?” I STRESSED THAT THE UNDP ADMINISTRATOR HAD

SPEARHEADED AN EFFORT THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY A NUMBER OF

DONORS, WHICH REPRESENTED AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE SEIZED

FROM WHICH HE, MUGABE, COULD ACCRUE DOMESTIC POLITICAL

ADVANTAGE. MUGABE’S SOMEWHAT WAN RESPONSE WAS, “WE WILL

TRY.”

¶2. (C) I ALSO ALERTED THE PRESIDENT TO ZIMBABWE’S

POTENTIAL 620(Q) VIOLATION STATUS FOR A SMALL AMOUNT OF

CONFIDENTIAL

PAGE 03       HARARE 06993 270838Z

MONEY OWED TO USAID: USD 210,000. I EXPLAINED TO HIM

THAT IF THE DEBT WAS NOT SETTLED BY THE DROP-DEAD DATE,

DECEMBER 30, WE WOULD BE UNABLE, ACCORDING TO U.S. LAW,

TO PROVIDE BILATERAL ASSISTANCE. MUGABE SAID HE WOULD

RAISE THE MATTER WITH FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MINISTER SIMBA MAKONI WHOM HE WOULD SEE SOON.

MCDONALD

CONFIDENTIAL

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