LESOTHO DEFENCE FORCE COMMANDER: "WE SUPPORT AFRICOM"

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000623

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S, PM/PPA, AF/RSA;
PASS TO AFRICOM AND ACSS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM MARR MASS MOPS MCAP LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO DEFENCE FORCE COMMANDER: "WE SUPPORT AFRICOM"

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1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On December 5, Ambassador paid a courtesy
call on Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) Commander Lt. General Thuso
Motanyane, during which the Commander expressed strong support
for the establishment of AFRICOM and lauded growing military
relations between the U.S. and Lesotho. The Ambassador also
discussed with the Commander the LDF's contributions to
Lesotho's national security, domestic humanitarian assistance,
and regional peacekeeping operations. Lesotho's helpful stance
on AFRICOM can be cultivated and recognized, including through
senior-level visits designed to continue the dialogue on the new
U.S. military command. In the interim, we will continue this
AFRICOM dialogue with the civilian side of the GOL house. END
SUMMARY.

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Lesotho Supports AFRICOM
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2. (SBU) As part of his series of introductory courtesy calls,
Ambassador met with Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) Commander Lt.
General Thuso Motanyane on December 5, accompanied by DCM and
Poloff. The Ambassador noted the continuing improvement in
U.S.-Lesotho military-to-military ties, including the recent
renewal of IMET programs as a result of Lesotho's signing in
2006 of an Article 98 Agreement. Citing the USG's significant
increases in aid to Africa through PEPFAR, the Millennium
Challenge Corporation, the Global Fund, and other programs, the
Ambassador also observed that the establishment of a U.S.
Military Command for Africa could lead to an even closer
relationship with African countries, including Lesotho, in areas
of mutual interest such as security, humanitarian assistance,
and development.


3. (SBU) General Motanyane concurred with the Ambassador and
emphasized that the establishment of AFRICOM was a positive
development for fostering improved direct military cooperation
with Africa. "Lesotho supports the creation of AFRICOM," stated
the general, adding that Lesotho is willing to assist in
ensuring AFRICOM's success, as the LDF will benefit from
additional cooperation. Motanyane observed that in the Southern
African region as a whole, the political issue of U.S. policy
towards Zimbabwe was the root of lingering misgivings about the
establishment of AFRICOM. He said that "solidarity with
(Mugabe)" remained an important factor, intimating that absent
the Zimbabwe issue there would be broader SADC support for the
new U.S. command.


4. (SBU) General Motanyane, responding to DCM's inquiring
whether Lesotho had benefited from a September AFRICOM briefing
in Warrenton, VA, said that the information brought back by LDF
Deputy Commander Brigadier General Mahao, Lesotho's
representative, was "extremely useful and highly informative."
He said additional information on AFRICOM offered previously
during visits by the Pretoria-based DATT and the
Washington-based Director of the African Center for Strategic
Studies (ACSS) had also been helpful. The Ambassador described
in general terms visits to various African countries by General
Ward and other AFRICOM and senior USG leaders to dialogue on the
new command, to which Montanyane replied that he would be
supportive of a similar visit to Lesotho.

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The General LDF Brief
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5. (SBU) General Motanyane briefed the Ambassador about the role
of the LDF, including protection of the nation's territorial
integrity, domestic humanitarian assistance, and contributions
to peacekeeping efforts (including a longstanding Military
Observer unit in Darfur). The general, pointing out Lesotho's
lack of a conventional external threat due to its encirclement
by a friendly neighbor (South Africa),stressed that cross
border crime posed major problems for Lesotho as a result of
porous borders--despite deployment of a full LDF battalion along
the border.


6. (SBU) Expanding on the LDF's humanitarian assistance role,
Gen Montanyane also spoke about the LDF's role in providing
search and rescue services (especially in the Lesotho mountains
during snow emergencies) and its assistance to Lesotho's police
force during joint security operations. Motanyane also shared
that the LDF and the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) had just
completed a joint exercise which took place over four weeks in
Maseru and in Lesotho's highlands.

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Lesotho's Helpful Stance on AFRICOM
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7. (SBU) COMMENT: While the Ambassador offered Motanyane

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additional briefings and information on AFRICOM, the Commander
made his position clear: Lesotho already supports AFRICOM.
While Lesotho is unlikely to make public pronouncements in favor
of AFRICOM, in deference to various regional concerns, the
Commander's positive disposition to the new U.S. military
command can be cultivated and acknowledged through increasingly
robust military-to-military ties and senior-level dialogue.
Embassy Maseru believes that a visit to Lesotho by senior-level
AFRICOM representatives in early 2008 would be the next logical
step. In the interim, we will continue this dialogue with the
civilian side of the house (the Prime Minister serves as
Minister of Defence and National Security, and his Principal
Secretary provides de facto civilian oversight of the LDF).

SIPDIS
Civilian GOL support for AFRICOM may be more nuanced, but, after
several months to ponder previous USG briefings, the LDF
Commander's emphatic support is encouraging. END COMMENT.
NOLAN