The head of the Zimbabwe unit in the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office John Dennis said research by the British government had failed to establish why eight Zimbabwean parastatals were put on sanctions in the first place.
Dennis was putting a strong defence on the lifting of sanctions on the parastatals because they were now separate from Mugabe’s power structures.
He said the de-listing would be very important, especially given that the International Monetary Fund Board might vote around the same time to restore Zimbabwe’s voting rights.
Dennis said he thought the EU statement would “recognize” the progress on the economic front and express “disappointment” on the lack of progress on the political reforms.
He said the UK would continue to push for “tough language” in the EU on Zimbabwe, while acknowledging that there are no major levers of power to induce reform.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 10LONDON360, SADC: AF DAS PAGE’S FEB 8 MEETINGS WITH SENIOR UK
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Reference ID |
Created |
Released |
Classification |
Origin |
VZCZCXRO5589
PP RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHLO #0360/01 0481200
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 171200Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY LONDON
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4981
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LONDON 000360
SIPDIS
NOFORN
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/FO, AF/S
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/16/2020
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID KDEM ZU SF UK
SUBJECT: SADC: AF DAS PAGE’S FEB 8 MEETINGS WITH SENIOR UK
OFFICIALS
Classified By: Political Counselor Robin Quinville,
reasons 1.4 (b/d).
¶1. (C) Summary. Senior UK Foreign Office (FCO), Department
for International Development (DFID), and Number 10 (No10)
Africa officials told AF DAS Page during February 8 meetings
that de-listing some entities in Zimbabwe was necessary
because of timing and in order to maintain EU consensus.
They also believed that South Africa could do more on
Zimbabwe. In advance of South African President Zuma’s March
2-3 state visit to the UK, UK officials are working on
deliverables for the visit that will focus on employment,
education, climate change, and urban re-generation; the visit
will also include a trip to the London 2012 Olympic Site and
several people-to-people meetings in urban areas. With the
Group of 19 in Mozambique’s linking of corruption and
governance issues to direct budget support, the UK has
received pressure from the Governments of Mozambique and
Portugal to continue support at current levels and has also
noticed some positive responses on governance, though they
continue to debate the issue internally. Governance trends
in Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, and Swaziland are worrisome.
Such trendlines have caused DFID to grapple with how to
handle countries where economic progress has been good but
where democratic space has been reducing, which will be a
major focus issue for DFID in 2010. DFID will also have a
renewed focus on management of natural resources. UK Prime
Minister Gordon Brown continues to be focused on health —
especially maternal health and ending payment of user fees
for health services — and universal primary education. End
summary.
¶2. (SBU) AF DAS Susan Page held separate meetings on February
8 with FCO Southern and West Africa Department Head Janet
Douglas, FCO Zimbabwe Unit Head John Dennis, DFID Southern
and West Africa Head Beverley Warmington, and the Prime
Minister’s Special Advisor for Africa Brendan Cox.
Zimbabwe
——–
¶3. (C/NF) After offering his analysis of the situation on the
ground and of Global Peace Agreement (GPA) implementation,
Dennis said the UK hopes to see South African President Jacob
Zuma do more on Zimbabwe, as South Africa has a vested
interest in a long-term bilateral relationship, has felt the
impact on the region, and is currently hosting many
Zimbabweans within its borders. While agreeing that the
political reforms called for in the GPA had not been
implemented, Dennis provided a robust defense to the UK’s
decision to support within the EU the de-listing of eight
parastatals and a limited number of individuals, arguing that
the parastatals are now separate from Mugabe’s power
structures and saying that the individuals were either dead
or no longer associating with ZANU-PF. Dennis also noted that
the UK’s research failed to determine the reasons the eight
companies had been included on the sanctions list in the
first place. He said the messaging around the de-listing
would be very important, especially given that the IMF Board
may vote around the same time to restore Zimbabwe’s voting
rights. Offering his impromptu thinking on what the EU’s
messaging would be, Dennis said he thought the EU statement
would “recognize” the progress on the economic front and
express “disappointment” on the lack of progress on the
political reforms. He said the UK will continue to push for
“tough language” in the EU on Zimbabwe, while acknowledging
that there are no major levers of power to induce reform.
¶4. (C/NF) Warmington said the debate in DFID on relaxing
restrictive measures within the EU had been more robust, as
Development Secretary Douglas Alexander, not normally
involved in sanctions discussions, inserted himself into the
process, much to the annoyance of the FCO. In the end,
Warmington said the pressure from Zimbabwe Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai and Finance Minister Tendai Biti as well as
the time constraints on passing a new package before the
existing measures expired, resulted in the de-listings.
Warmington said the World Bank Trust Fund for Zimbabwe was
becoming a “nightmare” because the World Bank will not
recognize restrictive measures and the UK cannot donate to
the fund if assistance will go to sanctioned entities. She
said donors plan to write to World Bank President Zoellick to
request a change in operating procedures, or donors will have
to create the Trust Fund with the African Development Bank.
¶5. (C/NF) Cox said the Prime Minister is worried about the
“next bit of reform” for Zimbabwe, as the most contentious
political issues are the ones outstanding. He described the
EU’s de-listing as necessary in order to keep all EU partners
LONDON 00000360 002 OF 003
on board, especially given the time constraints in approving
a new package before the existing one expires.
South Africa
————
¶6. (C/NF) Douglas said her primary focus at the moment is
preparation for South African President Jacob Zuma’s state
visit to the UK in the first week of March. She said the
visit will focus on employment, education, climate change,
and urban re-generation and will include a visit to the
London 2012 Olympic Site and several people-to-people
meetings in urban areas. Douglas said Number Ten is looking
for deliverables, particular on Zimbabwe, but predicts a
series of statements is the most likely outcome. She said
that during a recent visit South African Sports Minister
Makhenkesi Stofile had said that crowd control and human
security are his biggest concerns related to the upcoming
World Cup. Douglas said the UK’s Metropolitan Police and
Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) are providing
assistance and technical support to help manage these issues.
Douglas also said she is looking at child trafficking in
connection with the games, as she has heard informally that
networks in southern Africa are increasing trafficking into
South Africa in advance of the World Cup.
¶7. (C/NF) Warmington said South Africa is a regional hub for
DFID’s activities, as DFID only has limited bilateral
programming in South Africa, including on HIV/AIDS and
infrastructure. She also acknowledged the UK government’s
difficulty in determining outcomes for the state visit. Cox
highlighted Zuma’s state visit as important for the bilateral
relationship but said that the Prime Minister wants to
discuss Zimbabwe with Zuma in addition to how to carry
forward work on G20 issues. Warmington, however, did not see
a “deliverable” from Zuma on Zimbabwe during the State visit.
Mozambique
———-
¶8. (C/NF) Douglas said the UK has been under pressure from
the Government of Mozambique — and the Portuguese
bilaterally — to continue the Group of 19’s funding at
current levels. She said the Group of 19 had decided to link
corruption and lack of progress on governance issues,
especially on electoral reform and separation of party and
state, to support levels by asking for the Government of
Mozambique to give donors a game plan of reform. Warmington,
however, said she had become less concerned about governance,
especially with regard to the rest of the region, after her
recent visit there. She said the group of donors had felt
“ignored” by the Government of Mozambique, which resulted in
the tough messaging. She said she does not currently foresee
a situation where the UK’s assistance level or framework
would change, as the Government of Mozambique appeared to be
responding to the issues. She also said the conversation
between the international community and the Government of
Mozambique should be with the entire donor community, not
just the Group of 19.
Malawi
——
¶9. (C/NF) Douglas said Malawi has “consistently been a pain”
on governance issues and with the recent gay rights case.
She offered that the referral of the case to the
constitutional court would give Malawi time to maneuver
politically, which would probably be helpful. She also
agreed that the governance trends are worrying, especially
with the sidelining of Vice President Joyce Banda. While the
President’s brother Peter Mutharika may be “more
progressive,” his potential appointment as the ruling party’s
presidential candidate could be problematic with regard to
governance issues. Warmington said that DFID had been very
“disappointed” by Malawi’s purchasing of a plane off budget
and said that Development Secretary Douglas Alexander had
decided to reduce its assistance by the value of the airplane
divided over the next five years, approximately USD 3 million
per year.
Encouraging Good Governance
—————————
¶10. (C/NF) Douglas agreed that governance in Zambia, Lesotho
and Swaziland is also worrying. Warmington said that DFID is
currently grappling with how to handle countries where
economic progress has been good but where democratic space
has been reducing, such as Zambia and Ethiopia. She said
this will be a major issue for DFID in 2010. She also said
LONDON 00000360 003 OF 003
there will be a renewed focus on management of natural
resources.
The PM’s Priorities: Education and Health
—————————————–
¶11. (C/NF) Cox said that health — especially maternal health
and ending payment of user fees for health services — and
universal primary education continue to be major focuses for
the Prime Minister. He highlighted the education initiatives
around the World Cup and said the UK is working on strategies
and is seeking funding for various initiatives.
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