Zuma told Mugabe and Tsvangirai to move forward

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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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

TAGS: PREL PINR SADC AU WZ

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

(20 VIEWS)