South African President Jacob Zuma told Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that if they had 15 issues before them and reached agreement on one, they should move forward and not wait until all 15 were resolved.
According to Swaziland’s Foreign Minister Lutfo Dlamini, Zuma was under considerable pressure domestically to achieve some results on Zimbabwe because many Zimbabwean economic refugees had flooded into South Africa.
Southern African Heads of State who had confirmed Zuma as leader of the SADC mediation effort were also now impatient with ”Bob”.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 10MBABANE31, SWAZI FOREIGN MINISTER: SADC ANTICIPATES POTENTIAL
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Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO5025
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHPA RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHMB #0031 0221128
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 221128Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY MBABANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3874
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
C O N F I D E N T I A L MBABANE 000031
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/22/2020
SUBJECT: SWAZI FOREIGN MINISTER: SADC ANTICIPATES POTENTIAL
CLASH OVER MADAGASCAR AT AU SUMMIT; SOUTH AFRICA HAS LEAD
ON ZIMBABWE
Classified By: Ambassador Earl M. Irving
for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).
¶1. (C) Swaziland,s Minister of Foreign Affairs and
International Cooperation Lutfo E. Dlamini told Ambassador on
January 22 that Southern African Development Community (SADC)
summit participants expressed disapproval of France,s
continued support of the Rajoelina regime in Madagascar. He
said that SADC members, who met on January 14 in Maputo on
the margins of Mozambican President Guebuza’s inauguration,
were concerned that a clash over what to do about the crisis
in Madagascar might ensue at the January 25 African Union
summit in Addis Ababa. The Foreign Minister indicated he
looks to work with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on
Madagascar issues when he arrives in Addis Ababa. The
individual who chairs the committee examining the Madagascar
question is from a francophone west African country, and SADC
members suspect he is sympathetic to the French position. He
stated that SADC opposed early elections in March because
they implied that Madagascar had no constitutional head of
state, an assertion they found unacceptable.
U.S. Support and Voice on Madagascar Welcome
——————————————— —
¶2. (C) The top Swazi diplomat was grateful for U.S. support
of the SADC position, particularly as he was not certain
whether SADC would be able to carry the day on Madagascar at
the AU summit or secure the Malawian president,s election as
chairman. In this connection, he asked that the U.S. make
its position on the crisis in Madagascar known broadly and
authoritatively ahead of the summit. He confirmed that
former Mozambican President Chissano had been mandated to
continue leading the mediation efforts in Madagascar. He
also informed the Ambassador that the SADC heads of state in
Maputo had discussed the possibility of targeted sanctions
against the Rajoelina regime. While they unequivocally
favored isolating the regime, many were skeptical that travel
and financial sanctions would be effective, particularly with
France acting as the principal sanctions buster.
Libya Lobbies King for AU Chairmanship Re-election
——————————————— —–
¶3. (C) In an aside, the Foreign Minister mentioned that
Libyan leader Qadhafi had telephoned King Mswati III to lobby
for support for his re-election as AU chairman. According to
Dlamini, the Libyan leader had told the Swazi monarch that if
he lost the election but still had Mswati III,s support, “he
would give the king the AU chairmanship.” Dlamini also said
that the Libyan leader had offered him a plane ticket when
the Foreign Minister complained he did not have the funds to
travel to Tripoli to deliver King Mswati III,s invitation to
attend the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa
summit in August in Swaziland. The Swazis took the ticket
but sent a lower ranking envoy to deliver the invitation.
When the Swazi envoy arrived in Tripoli, an angry Qadhafi
refused to receive him and palmed him off on the Foreign
Minister.
Zuma to Push on Zimbabwe Issue
——————————
¶4. (C) Regarding Zimbabwe, Dlamini explained that the
summit confirmed South African president Zuma as leader of
the SADC mediation effort. He observed that Zuma was under
considerable pressure domestically to achieve some results
because so many Zimbabwean economic refugees had flooded into
South Africa. He said that the SADC heads of state were
impatient with “Bob,” and that Zuma had addressed him firmly.
According to Dlamini, Zuma told Mugabe that if he and Morgan
Tsvangirai had fifteen issues before them and reached
agreement on one, they should move forward on the point and
not wait until all fifteen were resolved.
IRVING
(19 VIEWS)
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