Tsvangirai asked Mwanawasa for help


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Movement for Democratic change leader Morgan Tsvangirai asked Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to convene an emergency meeting of the Southern African Development Community to discuss the security situation in Zimbabwe but Mwanawasa said he could not do so because there was a meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development the following week.

 

Strive Masiyiwa who met Mwanawasa with Tsvangirai said the Zambian President‘s interest in Tsvangirai’s request was piqued when one of his ministers informed him during the meeting that over 800 Zimbabwean military deserters had entered Zambia recently. Mwanawasa expressed concern about potential crime problems.

 

Full cable:

 

Viewing cable 08HARARE454, TSVANGIRAI ASKS MWANAWASA FOR SADC ASSISTANCE

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Reference ID

Created

Released

Classification

Origin

08HARARE454

2008-05-22 12:48

2011-08-30 01:44

CONFIDENTIAL

Embassy Harare

VZCZCXRO0877

OO RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN

DE RUEHSB #0454 1431248

ZNY CCCCC ZZH

O 221248Z MAY 08

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2927

INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY

RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 1987

RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 2108

RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0657

RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1385

RUEHDK/AMEMBASSY DAKAR 1743

RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA 2164

RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI 4595

RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

RHMFISS/EUCOM POLAD VAIHINGEN GE

RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC

RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1248

RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L HARARE 000454

 

SIPDIS

 

AF/S FOR S. HILL

ADDIS ABABA FOR USAU

ADDIS ABABA FOR ACSS

STATE PASS TO USAID FOR E. LOKEN AND L. DOBBINS

STATE PASS TO NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR B. PITTMAN

 

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/22/2018

TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC PHUM ZI

SUBJECT: TSVANGIRAI ASKS MWANAWASA FOR SADC ASSISTANCE

 

Classified By: Ambassador James D. McGee for reason 1.4 (d)

 

1. (C) MDC advisor Strive Masiyiwa told the Ambassador on

May 22 that he and MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai had met

May 21 in Lusaka with Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa and

other high-ranking Zambian officials. Tsvangirai requested

that SADC convene an emergency summit to discuss the security

situation and SADC observation in Zimbabwe.

 

2. (C) Mwanawasa told Tsvangirai that TICAD IV in Tokyo, to

begin next week, made convocation of a summit difficult. He

said he would try to hold a meeting on the issue of SADC

observation with his SADC colleagues on the margins of TICAD

IV. Mwanawasa, referring to the SADC Communique issued after

SADC’s April 13 Extraordinary Summit in Lusaka, said he

supported SADC observation and believed SADC could send as

many observers as it wished. He also said SADC would take

(unspecified) measures to guarantee Tsvangirai’s safety in

Zimbabwe.

 

3. (C) According to Masiyiwa, Mwanawasa’s interest in

Tsvangirai’s request was piqued when one of his ministers

during the meeting informed him that recently over 800

Zimbabwean military deserters had entered Zambia. Mwanawasa

expressed concern about potential crime problems.

 

McGee

(17 VIEWS)

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Charles Rukuni
The Insider is a political and business bulletin about Zimbabwe, edited by Charles Rukuni. Founded in 1990, it was a printed 12-page subscription only newsletter until 2003 when Zimbabwe's hyper-inflation made it impossible to continue printing.

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