VZCZCXRO5853
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0562/01 2831546
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 101546Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3388
INFO RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 3787
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000562 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PGOV PREL LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: AMB CHAVEAS VISITS, INJECTS REALITY INTO AFRICOM 
DEBATE 
 
MASERU 00000562  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
THIS IS A RETRANSMISSION OF A MESSAGE SENT ORIGINALLY ON OCTOBER 
3, 2007. 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY:  During a September 20-23 visit to Lesotho, 
Director of the Department of Defense's Africa Center for 
Strategic Studies (ACSS) Ambassador Peter Chaveas (ret.) 
disseminated useful information concerning AFRICOM and ACSS to a 
range of high-level GOL officials.  Chaveas met with the 
Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Principal Secretary of the 
Ministry of Defense and National Security, and the Commander of 
the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF).  Ambassador Chaveas also 
briefed ACSS alumni in Lesotho.  Ambassador Chaveas's timely 
information concerning AFRICOM helped dispel various rumors and 
misinformation about the new command, though more work on this 
front remains.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
PS Defense: Information Gap on AFRICOM 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) At his meeting with Principal Secretary (PS) of Defense 
and National Security Mahali Lebesa, Ambassador Chaveas 
discussed the current activities of ACSS and future training 
opportunities for Lesotho's Defense Ministry and armed forces. 
(NOTE: Lebesa reports directly to Prime Minister Mosisili, who 
also serves as Minister of Defense.  END NOTE.)  He then briefed 
Lebesa on the establishment of AFRICOM, the new U.S. military 
regional command, pointing out that: 1) The USG wished to 
eventually place AFRICOM Headquarters on the African continent, 
but would only do so if invited by a host African nation; 2) 
placing AFRICOM's headquarters on African soil did not imply a 
deployment of combat troops in Africa; and 3) the establishment 
of AFRICOM was primarily an internal DoD reorganization to bring 
more U.S. focus and continuity to Africa-related issues. 
 
¶3. (SBU) In response, Lebesa thanked Chaveas for clarifying the 
concept of AFRICOM.  She pointed to a large information 
shortfall on the intentions and nature of AFRICOM.  She stated 
that due to this lack of information, there were negative views 
expressed on AFRICOM by Southern African Development Community 
(SADC) member states at their recent security meetings.  Lebesa 
indicated that most SADC countries believed that there would be 
an actual presence of U.S. combat troops on the African 
continent, raising a number of concerns.  She informed 
Ambassador Chaveas that the AFRICOM issue was still a matter for 
discussion within SADC, and that the regional organization had 
taken no concrete decisions.  Lebesa again thanked Chaveas for 
his briefing and noted that she was in a better position to 
advise the Prime Minister on AFRICOM. Observing that Lesotho had 
sent a representative to a September 22-24 USG brief on AFRICOM 
in Virginia, Lebesa concluded that she expected imminent 
opportunities for GOL deliberation on its position regarding the 
new command. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
LDF Commander: We're Positive on AFRICOM, They're Not 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶4. (U) At a separate meeting, Charge introduced Ambassador 
Chaveas to LDF Commander Lieutenant General Thuso Motanyane and 
thanked the General for his swift action in releasing a senior 
LDF officer to participate in the USG AFRICOM briefing. 
Ambassador Chaveas briefed the Commander on ACSS training 
opportunities before moving the discussion to AFRICOM.  Pointing 
out that African countries currently fall under three separate 
regional commands, Chaveas argued that AFRICOM could, in the 
long term, bring more resources and a more coordinated approach 
to the African continent.  The Director informed Motanyane that 
the DOD's internal reorganization through the establishment of 
AFRICOM would not bring combat troops to or build military bases 
on African soil, and that any placement of a headquarters 
element on the African continent would strictly respect national 
sovereignty. 
 
¶5. (SBU) General Motanyane stated his SADC counterparts held 
misconceptions about the nature of AFRICOM and that many 
countries were thus not agreeable to the concept.  He mentioned 
that AFRICOM was viewed as similar to the Africa Endeavor 
military exercise which "excluded SADC member states such as 
Zimbabwe," and therefore were not in the spirit of regional 
cooperation.  Motanyane also mentioned that AFRICOM was still an 
issue under deliberation in regional bodies.  The LDF Commander 
nonetheless stated that Lesotho's military regarded the 
establishment of AFRICOM positively because it would strengthen 
U.S.-Africa security cooperation and improve lines of 
communication -- including with Lesotho. 
 
----------------------------------- 
Foreign Minister: Thanks for Coming 
 
MASERU 00000562  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Ambassador Chaveas also briefed Foreign Minister 
Kenneth Tsekoa on AFRICOM, stressing the same points as in 
previous briefings.  Tsekoa thanked Chaveas for his briefing, 
but in contrast to Lebesa and Motanyane, did not appear to have 
been briefed previously on the AFRICOM issue in any great 
detail.  Nonetheless, the two help a fruitful discussion on the 
overall bilateral U.S.-Lesotho bilateral relationship. 
 
-------------- 
Alumni Reunion 
-------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Ambassador Chaveas held an evening briefing for ACSS 
alumni, focusing both on the ongoing activities of ACSS and 
AFRICOM developments.  The briefing was followed by a short but 
lively question and answer session.  Following the briefing, the 
Charge d' Affaires and Director Chaveas hosted a reception 
attended by Lesotho ACSS alumni including senior LDF officers, 
senior National Security Service (NSS) members, and senior civil 
servants from the Ministry of Defense and National Security.  In 
addition, members of the Diplomatic Corps, the Commissioner of 
Police, the LDF Chief of Staff for Operations, and the Head of 
the Indian Army Training Team attended.  At the reception, the 
Chinese Ambassador showed a high level of interest in the 
preceding briefing and asked for printouts of Chaveas's 
PowerPoint presentation. 
 
-------------- 
A Useful Visit 
-------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) COMMENT:  Ambassador Chaveas's Basotho interlocutors 
appeared highly interested though not well informed about the 
nature and intent of AFRICOM.  Ambassador Chaveas's program in 
Lesotho was very useful in the regard, as it injected hard facts 
into a conversation more typically dominated by innuendo about 
the United States' motivations for establishing AFRICOM.  We 
look forward to continuing this dialogue with Lesotho's defense 
establishment in the coming months.  Equipped with a proper 
understanding of USG intentions and plans, Lesotho could play a 
helpful role within the region in mitigating some of the 
criticism and misunderstandings regarding AFRICOM.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶9. (U) Ambassador Chaveas departed Lesotho prior to clearing 
this cable. 
NOLAN