ZANU-PF’s outstanding issues

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara told United States diplomats that though the main faction of the Movement for Democratic Change had agreed to come back into government, the two parties still had outstanding issues.

The MDC-T list was:

• Removal of Attorney General Tomana and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gono,
• Appointment of Roy Bennett as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and
• Appointments of MDC provincial governors.

ZANU-PF’s outstanding issues were:

• Removal of sanctions,
• MDC-T parallel government funded by the West,
• Pirate radio stations, and
• Western calls for regime change.

Mutambara said that sanctions were the most problematic. Mugabe told the Troika that Tsvangirai had asked the US and others to keep sanctions in place. While Tsvangirai obviously could not remove sanctions, Mutambara thought he would somehow have to satisfy Mugabe on this issue.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 09HARARE885, SADC TROIKA SUMMIT: MDC TO REENGAGE

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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 HARARE 000885

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STATE PASS TO USAID FOR J. HARMON AND L. DOBBINS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/06/2019

TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM ASEC ZI

SUBJECT: SADC TROIKA SUMMIT: MDC TO REENGAGE

Classified By: Ambassador Charles Ray for reason 1.4 (d)

¶1. (U) After a one-day Summit of the Troika of the Organ on

Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in Maputo on

November 5, the MDC agreed to suspend its disengagement from

ZANU-PF. The Summit (as set out in a Communique) decided

that:

–the parties to the GPA (ZANU-PF, MDC-T, and MDC-M) should

engage in dialogue within 15 to 30 days;

–the dialogue should include all outstanding issues

emanating from the implementation of the GPA and SADC

Communique of January 27;

–the Facilitator (South Africa) will evaluate progress and

report back to the Organ.

Additionally, the Summit urged the international community

“to lift all forms of sanctions on Zimbabwe.”

¶2. (C) Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara (MDC-M) gave

us his impressions by phone from Maputo. He said the Troika,

as well as South African President Jacob Zuma, was engaged

and insistent that outstanding GPA issues be resolved.

(NOTE: We understand Zuma will travel to Harare next week to

represent the Facilitator. END NOTE.) Mutambara thought

SADC had put its reputation on the line by directly calling

for the resolution of outstanding issues and establishing a

time line to do so.

¶3. (C) According to Mutambara, Prime Minister Morgan

Tsvangirai presented MDC-T’s usual list of outstanding

issues: Removal of Attorney General Tomana and Reserve Bank

of Zimbabwe Governor Gono, appointment of Roy Bennett as

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, and appointments of MDC

provincial governors. President Robert Mugabe presented what

he termed ZANU-PF’s outstanding issues: Removal of

sanctions, MDC-T parallel government funded by the West,

pirate radio stations, and Western calls for regime change.

¶4. (C) Mutambara opined that sanctions was the most

problematic. Mugabe told the Troika that Tsvangirai had

asked the U.S. and others to keep sanctions in place. While

Tsvangirai obviously could not remove sanctions, Mutambara

thought he would somehow have to satisfy Mugabe on this issue.

——-

COMMENT

——-

¶5. (C) While giving Tsvangirai and MDC-T a face-saving way

to rejoin cabinet, the Maputo Summit kicked the can down the

road. There are a couple of silver linings. It appears that

Zuma will become directly engaged on Global Political

Agreement (GPA) issues and wants a resolution. Secondly,

ZANU-PF has been claiming that the MDC’s outstanding issues

are not in fact issues since they are not contained in the

GPA, but were raised in the January SADC Communique. The

Maputo Summit Communique states that “the parties should

fully comply with the spirit and letter of the GPA and SADC

Summit decisions of 27 January 2009.”

¶6. (C) Tsvangirai privately has taken the position that

targeted sanctions against individuals should remain in place

as they represent a response to actions that have undermined

democracy and the welfare of the Zimbabwean people. On the

other hand, he believes that sanctions against a number of

Qother hand, he believes that sanctions against a number of

business entities should be removed as they are an impediment

to efforts to revive the economy. Similarly, he believes

that consideration should be given to repealing ZDERA as part

of a process of reengaging with international financial

HARARE 00000885 002 OF 002

institutions. In light of the Maputo SADC Communique calling

on the international community to lift sanctions, and

expected pressure from Zuma, we suspect that Tsvangirai will

publicly have to support lifting of sanctions on entities,

and possibly the repeal of ZDERA.

RAY

(18 VIEWS)