The Daily News said the Commonwealth which was meeting to decide the fate of Zimbabwe should send a loud and clear message to President Robert Mugabe that it did not condone his behaviour in the just ended presidential elections.
Mugabe had won the elections with an overwhelming majority but the Movement for Democratic Change complained that the vote had been rigged.
“The commonwealth. .must send a loud and clear message to President Mugabe. They cannot afford to be equivocal without risking long-term damage to their reputation for sticking to their own rules,” the paper said.
Full cable:
Viewing cable 02HARARE712, MEDIA REACTION COMMONWEALTH TROIKA; HARARE
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
191034Z Mar 02
UNCLASSIFIED PTQ4611
PAGE 01 HARARE 00712 191048Z
ACTION INR-00
INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00
DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 LAB-01 VCE-00
NSAE-00 IRM-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02
NFAT-00 SAS-00 /003W
——————773F05 191049Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1246
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON
UNCLAS HARARE 000712
SIPDIS
AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND
SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR SWANN, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI
FRAZER
E.O. 12958: N/A
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION COMMONWEALTH TROIKA; HARARE
¶1. THE INDEPENDENT DAILY “THE DAILY NEWS” DEDICATED
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 02 HARARE 00712 191048Z
ITS MARCH 19 EDITORIAL TO THE COMMONWEALTH
DELIBERATIONS OVER ZIMBABWE. THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED
DAILY “THE HERALD” USED ITS EDITORIAL TO DISCOURAGING
ZIMBABWEANS FROM EMBARKING ON A THREE-DAY WORK
STOPPAGE. EXCERPTS:
¶2. UNDER HEADLINE “COMMONWEALTH MUST BE FIRM ON
DEMOCRACY,” THE “DAILY NEWS” (03/18) COMMENTS:
“. . .TODAY, THE COMMONWEALTH, ON THE BASIS OF A
REPORT BY TWO AFRICAN PRESIDENTS AND THE PRIME
MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA, MUST DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH
ZIMBABWE’S FUTURE MEMBERSHIP. THEY HAVE A REPORT
OF THE COMMONWEALTH OBSERVER GROUP TO THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS THE BASIS OF THEIR
RECOMMENDATION TO THE HEADS OF GOVERNMENT. THAT
REPORT WAS CATEGORICAL IN ITS CRITICISM – SOME
MIGHT SAY CONDEMNATION – OF THE CONDUCT OF THE
ELECTION. . . THE COMMONWEALTH. . .MUST SEND A
LOUD AND CLEAR MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT MUGABE. . .
THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO BE EQUIVOCAL WITHOUT RISKING
LONG-TERM DAMAGE TO THEIR REPUTATION FOR STICKING
TO THEIR OWN RULES. . . .”
¶3. UNDER HEADLINE “STAYAWAY CALL EXTREMELY
IRRESPONSIBLE,” THE “HERALD” (03/18) COMMENTS:
“THE CALL FOR A THREE-DAY NATIONAL STRIKE BEGINNING
TOMORROW BY THE ZCTU, AN AFFILIATE OF THE MDC, IS
AN EXTREMELY IRRESPONSIBLE STATEMENT THAT FLIES IN
THE FACE OF EFFORTS TO REBUILD THE COUNTRY. IN ITS
UNCLASSIFIED
PAGE 03 HARARE 00712 191048Z
OVERZEALOUS CAMPAIGN TO PLEASE ITS DEFEATED
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MR. MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, THE
CLUELESS LABOR MOVEMENT SHOWS TOTAL DISREGARD FOR
THE DEVASTATING EFFECT THE STAYAWAY WILL HAVE ON
THE ALREADY FRAGILE ECONOMY IN THE WAKE OF A HIGHLY
POLARIZED PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. . . THE STAYAWAY
WILL BE THE FINAL INDICATOR ON WHETHER THE MOSTLY
WHITE EMPLOYERS AND INDUSTRIALISTS ARE GOING TO
SPURN THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP EXTENDED BY PRESIDENT
MUGABE. . . IF COMPANIES WANT TO SHUT DOWN THEIR
OPERATIONS, SO BE IT. BUT LET IT BE KNOWN THAT
THEY WILL HAVE LOST ANY GOODWILL THAT THE
GOVERNMENT IS TRYING TO EXTEND TO THEM. THEY WILL
EITHER BECOME TOTALLY IRRELEVANT IN THE NEW
ZIMBABWE AND SHOULD BE SIDELINED COMPLETELY IN THE
GENERAL SCHEME OF THINGS. . . AT A TIME WHEN
NEGOTIATIONS ARE BEING HELD TO BRIDGE THE RIFT
BETWEEN THE RULING ZANU PF AND OPPOSITION MDC, THE
ZCTU STRIKE IS ILL ADVISED, PREMATURE, ILL-
CONCEIVED AND DESERVES NO SERIOUS ATTENTION. WE DO
NOT BELIEVE THAT THE MDC, WHICH HAS AGREED TO
ENGAGE ZANU PF IS TALKS, WOULD BE SO PETTY AND
NEGOTIATE IN SUCH BAD FAITH. THE OPPOSITION PARTY
SHOULD REIN IN ITS DOGS TO GIVE DIALOGUE A CHANCE.”
SULLIVAN
UNCLASSIFIED
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