INDEPENDENT NEWS

Cablegate: Media Reaction War with Iraq; Harare

Published: Mon 7 Apr 2003 01:50 PM
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS HARARE 000683
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS
IRAQ PD FOR SMITH, PINESS AND ROOKARD
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER
LONDON FOR GURNEY
PARIS FOR NEARY
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IZ PREL KPAO KMDR ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WAR WITH IRAQ; HARARE
1. The war to disarm Iraq remains a popular topic for op-
eds in the mainstream media. Excerpts follow:
2. Under headline "United States pursuing hidden
commercial agenda in Iraq" the April 7 edition of
the government-controlled daily "The Herald" carried
the following op-ed by Munyaradzi Mugowo on page 8:
"The unilateral decision by the U.S. to attack Iraq
without the U.N. mandate has sparked worldwide anti-
war protests and a continuing international debate
on the possible implications of the bully, imperious
nature of the U.S. . Kofi Annan seems to be
concerned more with U.N. humanitarian interventions
in Iraq [and] the rights of the prisoners of war as
provided for by the Geneva Convention, than with
ending U.S. aggression in the interest of world
peace and security. Allegations of terrorism and
human rights violations are always made in geo-
settings where the U.S. and Britain have vested
commercial interests, especially in circumstances
where politico-military aggression appears to be the
only conceivable compensation for foreign policy
failure. As a result, a common thread ties the U.S.
witch-hunting escapades tenaciously with regimes
opposed to both unipolar international relations and
U.S. militeralism. . ."
3. Under headline "DRC and Iraq wars linked: U.S., UK
seek to re-colonize African and Gulf states, the
April 6 edition of the government-controlled weekly
"The Sunday Mail" carried the following opinion
piece by Tafataona Mahoso. Excerpts:
". . .The U.S. and the UK supported the aggression
against the DRC and the U.S. and the UK are re-
colonizing Iraq. The re-colonizing of Iraq because
it is rich in petroleum means that we have not yet
seen the end of the imperialist struggle to re-
colonize the DRC for its strategic minerals. The
peace accord is only a short break; and the African
countries supporting the U.S.-UK aggression against
Iraq may be used both to divide the African Union
and to endorse U.S.-UK efforts to re-colonize
Africa. . . The first step Pan-Africanists would
expect from African leaders is a clear condemnation
of the barbarism we are witnessing in Iraq. The
second step would be a wake-up call to the people of
Africa, showing that African leaders understand that
the Anglo-American unipolar world is not about
democracy, human rights, transparency, good
governance and rule of law. Rather it is a world of
greed, lies and genocide."
SULLIVAN
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