VZCZCXRO8103
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN RUEHTRO
DE RUEHC #1253/01 2110013
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O P 290008Z JUL 08
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 2631
INFO SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE PRIORITY 2787
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 0114
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 081253
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: UNSC PREL PHUM ZI XA ZU
SUBJECT: GUIDANCE FOR UNSC CONSULTATIONS ON ZIMBABWE JULY
29
1. This is an action request. USUN may draw from the
talking points in para 2 during the July 29 UNSC
consultations on the situation in Zimbabwe and briefing by UN
Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Haile
Menkerios. USUN should also draw on these points in speaking
to the press after the meeting.
2. Begin talking points:
-- I would like to thank Assistant Secretary General for
Political Affairs Haile Menkerios for his briefing on the
situation in Zimbabwe. We continue to be concerned about the
welfare of the Zimbabwean people as a result of
ongoing government-sanctioned violence and government
restrictions on humanitarian operations. With that in mind,
I would like to make four points.
-- First, the United States hopes that the talks that began
last week in South Africa between Zimbabwe Africa National
Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) result in a new government that
reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people as expressed on
March 29. Should that occur, the U.S. stands ready to
provide a substantial assistance package, development aid,
and further help through international financial
institutions. While we continue to support the South
African-led Southern African Development Community (SADC)
mediation we also believe that a strong UN and AU role during
the negotiations is critical. Assistant Secretary General
Menkerios has demonstrated the ability to contribute
positively to the ZANU-PF/MDC mediation, and we encourage the
UN to select him as its representative to the negotiations in
Pretoria. We hope that he can return to South Africa
immediately, to continue to play an active role in those
negotiations and help the parties reach an agreement on a
solution to the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
-- Second, we continue to be concerned with the ongoing
state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe. Targeted attacks by
the Mugabe regime against MDC officials and their families
continue, and pockets of violence still exist in northern and
eastern provinces. Many MDC parliamentarians have been
arbitrarily arrested or detained and others have been forced
into hiding in a deliberate attempt by the Mugabe regime to
impede the opposition's ability to function effectively.
--While perpetrators of violence enjoy impunity, tens of
thousands of displaced Zimbabweans are afraid to return
home for fear of reprisal; and others have no homes to return
to as a result of ZANU-PF destruction. Additionally,
Zimbabweans continue to struggle to survive in a ruined
economy. With inflation at over 2 million percent, a record
high, many residents and businesses have resorted to the
barter system. Unemployment is the norm. Compounding the
problem is the government's ongoing ban on NGO activities,
which prevents desperately needed aid from reaching millions
of people at risk following a poor harvest.
-- Third, both the European Union and the U.S. have recently
announced expanded, targeted sanctions. Last week the U.S.
signed a new Executive Order that expands our sanctions
against those who have and continue to support violence and
oppose democracy in Zimbabwe and against state-controlled
entities from which they profit. These new sanctions build
upon existing sanctions placed on more than a hundred
individuals in the inner circle of the Mugabe regime who have
contributed to the undermining of democratic processes and
institutions in Zimbabwe. The U.S. is
also expanding travel restrictions on immediate family
members of responsible government officials, so that no
one connected to Mugabe's regime will have the privilege of
traveling to the U.S. while millions of Zimbabweans
suffer as a result of their actions. These are targeted
sanctions that focus on the regime and its supporters, not on
the people of Zimbabwe or the broader economy.
-- Fourth, as part of our commitment to help the people of
Zimbabwe in their time of greatest need, we have provided
over $120 million in food aid and other support inside
Zimbabwe. In addition, we will be providing $2.5 million in
U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance for refugees
and asylum seekers in neighboring countries.
-- The political commitment of the entire international
STATE 00081253 002 OF 002
community will be needed to help Zimbabweans move to a more
secure and democratic future. We thank UN Assistant
Secretary General for Political Affairs Haile Menkerios for
keeping the Council informed of developments in Zimbabwe.
RICE