Where are Mugabe’s overseas assets?

While trying to prove that the travel ban on President Robert Mugabe was ineffective because he had once again managed to travel to Rome without any hindrance, The Herald asked a very pertinent question which remains unanswered to this day, 10 years down the line: Where are Mugabe’s overseas assets?

Mugabe travelled to Rome to attend a Food and Agriculture Organisation meeting. FAO is part of the United Nations organisation so Mugabe is allowed to attend.

The challenge however remained.

“The failure of the travel ban has also exposed another fallacy that the US and EU were going to seize foreign assets of President Mugabe and his officials,” the paper said.

“Several months after this announcement, nothing has been found despite the celebrated international intelligence network of the Americans, British and other Western super powers.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE1389, EDITORIALS SUPPORT AND CRITICIZE MUGABE

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

UNCLAS HARARE 001389

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/PD, AF/S, AF/RA

NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

LONDON FOR GURNEY

PARIS FOR NEARY

NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: EDITORIALS SUPPORT AND CRITICIZE MUGABE

TRAVEL TO FAO MEETING IN ROME

¶1.   Editorials in the June 10 editions of the

government-controlled daily “The Herald” and the

independent daily “The Daily News” focus on Robert

Mugabe’s presence in Rome for the United Nations

meeting on hunger. Excerpts:

¶2.   Under headline “Travel bans prove ineffective”

the

government-controlled daily “The Herald” dismisses

travel restrictions against Robert Mugabe and his

government as meaningless. Excerpts:

“Despite the imposition of travel sanctions against

President Mugabe, government officials and other

Zimbabwean business people by the United States and

the European Union (EU), the Zimbabwean leader and

his entourage have once again managed to travel to

a European destination without any hindrance. This

puts to shame political upstarts and Uncle Toms who

were gleefully celebrating the imposition of the

travel ban against Zimbabwe’s leaders and

entrepreneurs. . . The failure of the travel ban

has also exposed another fallacy that the US and EU

were going to seize foreign assets of President

Mugabe and his officials. Several months after

this announcement, nothing has been found despite

the celebrated international intelligence network

of the Americans, British and other Western super

powers.

“If President Mugabe was such an abomination to the

international notion of civil liberties, democracy

and human rights how come his two international

visits to the US and Italy have not caused any stir

in these two countries? We have not seen the

public outrage against his visits unlike that which

was attracted by the American President and British

prime minister in some of their travels outside

their own countries, which saw thousands of people

taking to the streets in protest. Maybe it is now

time to turn the tables against those who have been

fighting for the isolation of Zimbabwe, the

imposition of sanctions, among other things meant

to bring suffering on the people. Why should they

continue to enjoy international travel to advocate

evil against their own people and nothing is done

to hold them accountable. No other country would

tolerate such nonsense and Zimbabwe should be no

exception.”

¶3.   “The Daily News” editorial blames the Mugabe

government for the food crisis. Excerpts:

“. . .The government (of Zimbabwe) is the chief

architect of the food shortage, but the tragedy is

that it is unwilling to see or acknowledge its

authorship of the crisis. Instead, it prefers to

blame the weather and an alleged conspiracy by

commercial farmers. . .   By being in Rome, Mugabe

is demonstrating the futility of the ‘smart’

sanctions against himself and his government, but

he is also saying he can create a crisis and leave

the international community to assume

responsibility for his actions. . . If the FAO

summit produces pledges food aid for starving

Zimbabweans, it must be on condition that non-

governmental organizations – and not the

government – be involved in its distribution. . .”

SULLIVAN

(132 VIEWS)