Mozambique President Armando Guebuza told United States embassy officials that he had his own personal opinion about Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe but that opinion didn’t matter. It was what Zimbabweans desired that counted.
He had been asked by the officials about whether Mugabe should be forced out or not and developments at the Southern African Development Community summit in Lusaka, Zambia.
Guebuza said the summit had been a success and the leaders had urged President Robert Mugabe and South African President Thabo Mbeki to make more rapid progress towards resolving Zimbabwe’s political crisis.
He said that Mozambique needed to proceed with care, as Zimbabwe could hurt Malawi, South Africa and Mozambique itself.
Guebuza said Mozambique would support all domestic Zimbabwean political actors and a forum that would allow them all to communicate better, and wanted a solution that “reflected the will of the Zimbabwean people”.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 07MAPUTO988, PRESIDENT GUEBUZA ON ZIMBABWE AND PKO’S
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|
Reference ID |
Created |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO5890
RR RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHTO #0988/01 2331458
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 211458Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7784
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0104
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORP WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MAPUTO 000988
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/20/2017
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM MZ ZI
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT GUEBUZA ON ZIMBABWE AND PKO’S
REF: A. MAPUTO 899
¶B. MAPUTO 949
¶C. MAPUTO 955
¶D. MAPUTO 956
¶E. LUSAKA 945
MAPUTO 00000988 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: CHARGE D’AFFAIRES TODD C. CHAPMAN, REASONS 1.4(B) & (D)
¶1. (C) Summary: President Guebuza told the Charge on August
20 that he pressed both Mbeki and Mugabe for a speedier
solution to Zimbabwe’s political crisis at the Lusaka Summit
that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people. He said
that Mozambique was interested in participating in
peacekeeping operations (PKO’s), but was not yet logistically
prepared to do so. Guebuza recognized the country’s economic
growth and USG support, including high-level interest such as
the pending visit by HHS Secretary Leavitt. Guebuza seemed
to grasp the international political arguments that support
Mozambique’s participation in PKO’s, but worried about the
domestic political fallout resulting from any diversion of
GRM resources away from underfunded social programs or
combating the rising crime problem at home. End Summary.
—————————————–
Economic Development; Concern about Crime
—————————————–
¶2. (C) The Charge, accompanied by PolEconChief, met August
20 with President Guebuza at his request. Guebuza was
accompanied by Political Advisor Renato Matusse and a
notetaker. Lauding the remarkable economic development that
Mozambique has enjoyed over the past 15 years, the Charge
opened by congratulating the president for the GRM’s
responsible stewardship of the economy. He applauded the
recent article that President Guebuza had written for
AllAfrica.com in which he emphasized that the private sector
was now Mozambique’s primary engine for economic growth and
partner in development.
¶3. (C) Guebuza in turn congratulated and recognized the USG
for the key role it has played in Mozambique’s development,
noting that the USG had been a strong supporter for many
years–helping fund and observe elections, for example, and
providing relief during natural disasters that had afflicted
the country in the 1990s and again more recently. In spite
of the growth in the economy, he expressed worry about the
increasing crime in Mozambique, and observed that it was a
regional problem. Criminal elements seemed to be
increasingly present across international borders.
¶4. (C) Guebuza said he was concerned to find that many
criminals in Mozambique seemed connected to the police, until
he realized that internal infractions committed by police
officers usually resulted in immediate dismissal. In other
words, he continued, there were large numbers of unemployed
former police officers who were ripe for recruitment into
criminal gangs. A Mozambican politician who participated in
a USG International Visitor program reported to the President
that he observed how the Chicago police force addressed
internal discipline problems with programs to correct
behavior–with dismissal only as a last resort. Guebuza
stated that he would seek to implement this internal
corrective process within the Mozambican police force so as
to reform behavior rather than augment the criminal ranks.
—————————————
Lusaka Summit, Perspectives on Zimbabwe
—————————————
¶5. (C) The Charge asked how Guebuza viewed the outcomes of
last week’s SADC summit in Lusaka. The President called it a
success, with renewed commitments on economic integration and
the establishment of a regional peacekeeping force. He added
that conditions in Lesotho and Congo seemed to be steadily
improving, and that leaders had urged South Africa’s Thabo
Mbeki and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe to make more rapid
progress towards resolving Zimbabwe’s political impasse.
¶6. (C) The Charge said that the United States viewed
Zimbabwe’s problems with increasing concern, wanted a result
that eased the country’s suffering, and supported an African
solution to this regional problem. Guebuza replied that
Mozambique would support all domestic Zimbabwean political
actors and a forum that would allow them all to communicate
better, and that the GRM wanted a solution that “reflected
the will of the Zimbabwean people.” Guebueza said that when
people asked him if Mugabe should be forced out, he had his
MAPUTO 00000988 002.2 OF 002
own personal opinion but that opinion didn,t matter: it is
what Zimbabweans desire that counts. He added that the GRM
needed to proceed with care, as Zimbabwe could hurt Malawi,
South Africa, and Mozambique.
——————————————— —-
PKOs: Interested, Need Funds; HHS Secretary Visit
——————————————— —-
¶7. (C) The Charge observed that in the past 60 days, Guebuza
had met with First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, AF Assistant Secretary Jendayi Frazer and
MCC CEO John Danilovich. The following day’s visit by HHS
Secretary Michael Leavitt would be the first cabinet-level
SIPDIS
visit to Mozambique in over five years. The time appeared
ripe, continued the Charge, to work towards broadening the
bilateral agenda to include issues of continental and
multilateral importance like peacekeeping operations (PKO’s)
in Africa.
¶8. (C) Guebueza responded that he had raised this issue with
his national security council, a mixed commission of civilian
and military advisors, which had observed it would be
difficult to justify taking money away from social spending
to support PKO’s. He said that when he met with Secretary
Rice, he had suggested that the political commitment to PKO’s
was actually a secondary issue. The primary concern was
ensuring that the logistical support was in place so that a
sustainable mission could be undertaken. Further, his
government would need more information on what the missions
would be in Somalia or Sudan before being able to commit
troops. He ultimately characterized Mozambique’s stance as
“interested in PKO’s, but not yet ready to send the troops.”
——————————-
Request for Elections Financing
——————————-
¶9. (C) At the conclusion of the meeting, political counselor
to the president Renato Matusse asked the Charge about
possible USG funding for provincial elections in January, as
raised by President Guebueza with Secretary Rice in
Washington. The Charge indicated that the USG had a small
amount of technical assistance available, but that direct
funding of the elections was not envisaged.
——————————————— —–
Comment: Guebuza Engaged, Focused on PKO Logistics
——————————————— —–
¶10. (C) The President, engaging and friendly during the
45-minute meeting, clearly appreciates our bilateral
relationship and the attention Mozambique is receiving from
the USG * especially the recently-signed Millennium
Challenge Compact. He reiterated Mozambican interest in
regional peacekeeping, but was extremely focused on
logistical requirements and the sustainability for any
Mozambican involvement in PKO operations. Guebuza seemed to
grasp the international political arguments that support
Mozambique’s participation in PKO’s, but worried about the
domestic political fallout resulting from any diversion of
GRM resources away from underfunded social programs or
combating the rising crime problem at home. Additional
funding or political arguments will be needed to get
Mozambican peacekeepers back into the field.
Chapman
(23 VIEWS)
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