US praises Zimbabwe for its stance on terrorism

The United States showered Zimbabwe with praise on its stance on terrorism but that was way back in the 1980s before relations between the two nations soured.

Zimbabwe had just cracked a major network of South African agents who were destabilising the country in their fight against the African National Congress which had been accorded official status in Harare.

This is contained in one of the diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks last week. The cable related to the United States embassy report for the 1988 annual terrorism report.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 88HARARE5924, ZIMBABWE – 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

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R 151121Z NOV 88

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC 9839

INFO AMEMBASSY MAPUTO

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 05924

S/CT FOR WHARTON

E.O. 12356: N/A

TAGS: ZI KPRP PTER

SUBJECT: ZIMBABWE – 1988 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: A) STATE 357278, B) STATE 279799

¶1. THE FOLLOWING IS OUR SUBMISSION FOR THE ANNUAL

TERRORISM REPORT AS OUTLINED IN REF A:

COURT PROSECUTIONS INVOLVING TERRORISM IN 1988

——————————————— —

¶2. THERE WERE TWO NOTEWORTHY COURT CASES INVOLVING

INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM IN 1988. THE FIRST CONCERNED

SIX INDIVIDUALS ACCUSED OF A STRING OF SOUTH AFRICAN

DIRECTED BOMBINGS OF SUSPECTED ANC TARGETS IN HARARE AND

BULAWAYO OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE SECOND WAS THE

CASE OF A MOZAMBICAN NATIONAL ACCUSED OF BEING A RENAMO

TERRORIST.

¶3. ONE OF THE SIX ALLEGED SOUTH AFRICAN AGENTS, RORY

MAGUIRE, WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED IN JULY TO SEVEN

YEARS FOR HIS ROLE IN THE BOMBINGS. THREE OTHERS–

KEVIN WOODS, MICHAEL SMITH AND PHILLIP CONJWAYO–ARE

BEING TRIED AT PRESENT. TWO–BARRY BAWDEN AND GUY

BAWDEN–STILL AWAIT TRIAL.

¶4. THE ACCUSED RENAMO TERRORIST, JOHN SAMUEL MATAVEYA,

WAS CONVICTED IN NOVEMBER ON SIX OF SEVEN COUNTS OF

MURDER, ATTEMPTED MURDER, ARMED ROBBERY AND POSSESSION

OF ARMS OF WAR. MATAVEYA KILLED TWO CIVILIANS,

INCLUDING A YOUNG BOY, IN APRIL 1987. HIS WAS THE FIRST

TRIAL IN ZIMBABWEAN COURTS OF AN ALLEGED RENAMO

TERRORIST.

PLO STATUS

———-

¶5. THE PLO IS ACCORDED FULL DIPLOMATIC STATUS INCLUDING

AN ACCREDITED AMBASSADOR. THIS IS UNCHANGED SINCE 1987.

PUBLIC STATEMENTS IN SUPPORT OF TERRORISM

—————————————–

¶6. NONE.

MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS IN 1988

————————————–

¶7. THE MAJOR COUNTERTERRORISM ACTIONS THIS YEAR HAVE

BEEN:

— CONTINUING EFFORTS TO COUNTER AND CONTAIN RENAMO

INCURSIONS INTO EASTERN ZIMBABWE AND ESPECIALLY RENAMO

ATTACKS ON BORDER CIVILIAN POPULATIONS. THOUGH THE

LEVEL OF SUCH RENAMO ACTIVITY MAY HAVE DROPPED,

CIVILIANS ALONG THE BORDER ARE STILL SUBJECT TO MURDER,

MUTILATION AND DISAPPEARANCE.

— THE ARREST AND ELIMINATION OF A MAJOR NETWORK OF

SOUTH AFRICAN AGENTS APPARENTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL

BOMBING ATTACKS AGAINST SUSPECTED ANC TARGETS IN RECENT

YEARS.

— THE AMNESTY DECLARED IN APRIL WHICH, ALONG WITH THE

UNITY AGREEMENT BETWEEN ZANU AND ZAPU, EFFECTIVELY ENDED

DISSIDENT VIOLENCE IN MATABELELAND. 113 DISSIDENTS

TURNED THEMSELVES IN ACCOUNTING FOR MOST ALL THOSE

BELIEVED TO BE OPERATING IN THE BUSH.

RESPONSE OF THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM

——————————-

¶8. THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM HAS RESPONDED TO CASES OF

ALLEGED TERRORISM BROUGHT BEFORE IT IN LINE WITH

INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS FOR AN INDEPENDENT

AND PROFESSIONAL JUDICIARY. SO FAR THIS YEAR THERE HAVE

BEEN TWO CONVICTIONS, AS OUTLINED ABOVE, WHILE OTHER

TRIALS ARE STILL UNDER WAY.

SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM

———————————–

¶9. ZIMBABWE ACCORDS THE ANC REPRESENTATIVE IN HARARE

OFFICIAL STATUS AND SUPPORTS THE ANC’S POLITICAL GOAL OF

AN END TO APARTHEID. SOME 250 SOUTH AFRICAN EXILES FIND

REFUGE IN ZIMBABWE. IN THE PAST, THE SOUTH AFRICAN

GOVERNMENT HAS CHARGED THAT THE ANC HAS LAUNCHED ATTACKS

WITHIN SOUTH AFRICA FROM ZIMBABWEAN TERRITORY. BUT THE

ZIMBABWEAN GOVERNMENT MAKES A GENUINE EFFORT TO CONTROL

ANC ACTIVITY ON ZIMBABWEAN TERRITORY. THERE IS NO

EVIDENCE OF ANY PERMANENT ANC MILITARY PRESENCE IN

ZIMBABWE.

RAWLINGS

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