VZCZCXRO6218
OO RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0370/01 1771547
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 261547Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3094
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 3466

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV ECON KMCA KDEM EAID SF LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: PM VISITS SOUTH AFRICA DESPITE TROUBLE AT HOME 
 
REF: A) MASERU 367; B) MASERU 353 AND PREVIOUS 
 
MASERU 00000370  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  On June 18-20, the Prime Minister of Lesotho, 
Phakalitha Mosisili, conducted an official visit to Cape Town, 
South Africa.  An official communiqui on the visit mentioned the 
signing of agreements on several bilateral issues, including the 
cross-border movement of citizens.  In his public addresses, 
Mosisili stressed Lesotho and South Africa's shared history, the 
necessity of cooperation between the two countries on issues of 
economic development, and the revitalization of the Joint 
Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC).  The communiqui 
also acknowledged that Mosisili had briefed SA President Mbeki 
on recent domestic political problems in Lesotho.  However, this 
visit will be most remembered for the Prime Minister's 
conspicuous absence from his homeland during a time of strife 
and tension.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
Official Visit at a Troubled Time 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶2. (U) Phakalitha Mosisili, Lesotho's Prime Minister, conducted 
an official visit to the Republic of South Africa on June 18-20. 
 On his trip to Cape Town, Mosisili was accompanied by Minister 
of Foreign Affairs Mohlabi Tsekoa, Minister of Tourism, 
Environment; and Culture Lebohang Ntsinyi; Minister of Trade and 
Industry Popane Lebesa; and Minister of Finance and Development 
Planning Dr. Timothy Thahane.  At home in Maseru, Lesotho's 
police had announced a curfew in light of recent attacks on the 
residences of senior GOL officials (ref A).  At several points 
during his visit, members of the South African press queried 
Mosisili concerning rapidly unfolding events in the Mountain 
Kingdom. 
 
 
 
-------------------------- 
 
Addresses to State Banquet 
 
and the Business Community 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (U) Prime Minister Mosisili formally addressed a state 
banquet hosted by President Mbeki on June 19 and a business 
forum on June 20.  During his address at the state banquet, 
Mosisili emphasized the shared history and cultural heritage of 
the two nations.  He referred to the need to further coordinate 
Lesotho and South Africa's foreign policy positions in 
multilateral organizations such as the United Nations, the 
Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the African 
Union (AU).  Noting that South Africa "can ill afford to 
co-exist with a poor, under-developed Lesotho within herself," 
he mentioned three joint economic goals for the two nations: 1) 
a more robust economic integration of Lesotho into South Africa; 
2) increased trade between the two countries; and 3) direct 
South African investment in Lesotho's infrastructure in target 
areas such as tourism, manufacturing, roads, railway lines, 
electricity, and mining. 
 
 
 
¶4. (U) The Prime Minister also spoke about the Lesotho-South 
Africa Joint Bilateral Commission for Cooperation (JBCC) and its 
2001 goal to elevate Lesotho from the "Least Developed Country" 
category by 2006.  According to Mosisili, the JBCC had had 
successes in the struggle against cross-border crime, study 
visas, and movement across borders, but had not achieved its 
overarching anti-poverty objectives because of the business 
community's lack of involvement.  He called upon South Africa to 
keep its pledge to allow Lesotho to share in the economic 
benefits of South Africa's role as host of the 2010 World Cup. 
 
 
 
¶5. (U) At the June 20 business forum, Prime Minister Mosisili 
stuck with many of the same themes.  Referring to Lesotho and 
South Africa as "economically and socially intertwined," he 
recalled Lesotho's high growth rates in the mid-1990s as a model 
for the future.  On the African Growth and Opportunity Act 
(AGOA), Mosisili stated that this "initiative of the United 
States of America" had "provided an auspicious boost to the 
 
MASERU 00000370  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
hitherto nascent and struggling textile and garment industry" 
which "has now surpassed the Government as the largest employer 
in the country." 
 
 
 
----------------------- 
 
The Official Communiqui 
 
----------------------- 
 
 
 
¶6. (U) Lesotho and South Africa issued an official communiqui on 
June 19 regarding the visit.  Interestingly, the communiqui 
noted that the Prime Minister had briefed Mbeki on recent 
political developments in Lesotho and on the progress of the 
SADC Ministerial Troika dialogue aimed at resolving a political 
impasse in Lesotho.  The communiqui referred to the signing of 
an agreement on the Facilitation of Cross Border Movement of 
Citizens, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in 
Correctional Services, and an MOU on Cooperation on Cross Border 
Fires and other Forest Management Issues.  The communiqui also 
stated that President Mbeki had reaffirmed South Africa's 
commitment to assist implementation of the Sani Pass Mokgotlong 
road project, predicted to yield benefits for tourism. 
 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
Neighborly Summit, Bad Timing 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) COMMENT:  In the context of the overwhelming 
importance of the South Africa-Lesotho bilateral relationship to 
the Mountain Kingdom, regular high-level bilateral missions such 
as this one are quite necessary for Lesotho.  On June 23, during 
an unrelated meeting with resident diplomats (ref A), Foreign 
Minister Tsekoa called the PM's visit a "fabulous success." 
However, this visit may be most remembered for the Prime 
Minister's conspicuous absence from his homeland during a time 
of strife and tension.  Nonetheless, the one document signed 
during the trip which could have a near-term effect on Basotho 
citizens is the "Agreement on the Facilitation of Cross Border 
Movement of Citizens" which holds out the promise of greatly 
simplifying the border crossing regime between the two 
countries.  However, no date has been set for the implementation 
of this initiative.  END COMMENT. 
MURPHY