PRE-ELECTORAL CONSULTATIONS: U.S., ALLIES MEET

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000209

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S

E.O. 12958: DECL: 4/22/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL LT
SUBJECT: PRE-ELECTORAL CONSULTATIONS: U.S., ALLIES MEET


CLASSIFIED BY: JUNE CARTER PERRY, AMBASSADOR, EXEC , STATE .
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



CLASSIFIED BY: JUNE CARTER PERRY, AMBASSADOR, EXEC , STATE .
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)


1. Summary: Ambassador hosted Chiefs of Missions of the United
Kingdom (Dean),South Africa, and the UN Resident Coordinator
(UNDP Representative Hodan Haji-Mohamud) to discuss facilitation
of a tri-partite meeting between Government of Lesotho (GOL),
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and opposition parties.
During the course of the meeting held the morning of April 22 in
the Ambassador's office, we spoke by phone with Former Minister
of Home Affairs and now Communications Minister, Thomas Thabane,
concerning a tri-partite meeting which the government has
concurred would be held on Monday, April 25. Key members of the
Diplomatic Corps believe it necessary to have such an inclusive
gathering of all parties to emphasize the objectives of the
elections occurring April 30; free, fair and inclusive
elections; and to lay the ground work for the next elections
(2007). We believe that we have now made substantial progress
in engaging the government through the Deputy Prime Minister
(DPM) and also Ministers of Justice and Communications to help
underscore the importance of a peaceful,
election/decentralization process in Lesotho. End Summary


2. Members of the Diplomatic Corps have been meeting over the
past three weeks with members of the government of Lesotho, the
IEC and representatives of the opposition parties. In
conversations with the government and the wider diplomatic corps
on April 21, we emphasized the importance of peaceful, free and
fair elections. We received confirmation via a telephone
conversation with Minister Thabane on April 22, that the
government would send invitations to all 24 opposition parties,
to the IEC and to the diplomatic community for the April 25
meeting which is to occur at the Convention Center in Maseru.
Throughout our conversations (and this was reemphasized in my
conversation with Minister Thabane today) we requested the
Diplomatic Corps be invited as observers. The government has
been pressing us to serve as Chair of such a meeting. The U.S.,
the UN, and the UK have consistently and determinately responded
that it is the Government's role to secure a neutral Chair and
that we would be present as observers only. We note that the
South African High Commissioner has been trying to pressure the
UN representative to Chair such a meeting. She has repeatedly
refused to do so and has indicated that the UN is there solely
as a neutral observer and in all cases throughout Africa would
work as necessary only through regional organizations. I have
made clear to the South African High Commissioner that it is not
appropriate for the UK, the U.S. or the UN to chair this session
and that if any outside diplomatic representative were to do so,
it would be inappropriate intervention in national affairs and
subject to misrepresentation by the public and the press. At
the same time, we, the U.S., have emphasized the helpful role
that we and donors play in assisting the government
institutionalize democracy and with all stakeholders to
understand the importance of strict adherence to the April 30
date; free, fair, peaceful and inclusive elections, and laying
the ground work for the next elections (which would be the 2007
National Elections) in Lesotho. The four key planners in the
international community have been ourselves, the UN, the UK and
SA, although the latter brings its own political baggage given
its history with Lesotho. Therefore, the U.S., the UK and the
UN Chiefs of Mission have also conducted a sustained separate
dialogue on our common goals which we believe are more objective
and less subject to negative interpretation than those of the
South Africans.


3. Following our April 22 morning meeting at the Chancery, we
agreed to remain in contact over the weekend prior to the
anticipated Monday, April 25 meeting to be convened by the
Government and which we will attend as observers. We also
agreed that the Chiefs of Mission would meet with the DPM (who
is acting during the overseas travel of the PM) on the elections
and related security matters and hope this meeting will take
place by Thursday, April 28. We also agreed that the US
Assistant Regional Security Officer (ARSO) from Pretoria and the
UN Regional Security Officer from Johannesburg would meet with
other Missions' security representatives on Wednesday, April 27
at the UNs Conference Center. We concurred that our various
staffs, e.g. political and security officers, would continue to
take on-the-ground soundings from now through the elections and
that we would share information both related to the electoral
process and to security matters.


4. Comment: It is the opinion of the Diplomatic Corps based on
the nearly daily series of meetings that we have had, either
individually or together with political and security leaders
within the GOL, that getting all of the players to agree to an
open forum discussion together on April 25 is a step in the
right direction. We know from our previous meetings as a group

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that some members of the opposition parties had made veiled
threats to carry out disruptive activities if such a tri-partite
meeting were not held. We believe the coordination amongst
ourselves and our key allies has been substantial and fruitful
to this point and we will continue our own interactions and will
consult with all stakeholders from now through the April 30
elections. Consultations will continue following those
elections during this period of transition and movement toward
decentralization. End Comment.