LESOTHO: REGAL HOSPITALITY FOR SWAZILAND'S KING

UNCLAS MASERU 000106

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EAID WZ LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: REGAL HOSPITALITY FOR SWAZILAND'S KING


1. SUMMARY: King Mswati III of Swaziland, accompanied by Queen
Lantentesa, various princes and princesses, cabinet ministers,
and traditional chiefs, made an April 9-11 state visit to the
Kingdom of Lesotho. While King Mswati has visited Lesotho on
several occasions for SADC and other regional meetings, this was
his first official bilateral state visit. At official state
functions, both Lesotho's King Letsie III and King Mswati III
stressed the commonalities of their kingdoms. Mswati went out
of his way to mention that Swaziland could learn from Lesotho
how to exercise its new responsibilities in multilateral forums.
Although an absolute monarch may seem like an anachronism in
Lesotho, King Mswati III's visit to Lesotho emphasized the
similarities of two small kingdoms looking to forge their own
paths in the shadow of their much larger neighbor, South Africa.
END SUMMARY.

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The King and the Parliament
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2. King Mswati III of Swaziland, accompanied by Queen
Lantentesa, various princes and princesses, cabinet ministers,
and traditional chiefs, made an April 9-11 state visit to the
Kingdom of Lesotho. While King Mswati has visited Lesotho on
several occasions (the 1996 and 2006 SADC Summits, King Letsie
III's Coronation in 1997, Lesotho's royal wedding in 2000, and
the 2005 Smart Partnership Dialogue),this was his first
official bilateral state visit. On the afternoon of his arrival
in Lesotho by private royal aircraft, the King addressed a joint
session of Lesotho's parliament. Mswati stated that Lesotho and
Swaziland face similar developmental challenges including
persistent drought, high rates of unemployment, and diseases
such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. He hailed regional
cooperation and South African Development Community (SADC)
organizations as key in overcoming these obstacles.

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Banquet Fit for a King
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3. Later in the evening of April 9, Lesotho's King Letsie III
officially welcomed King Mswati at a state banquet in his honor,
attended by several hundred officials and guests including the
diplomatic corps. During his address, King Letsie underscored
the close friendship and historical commonalities between the
two kingdoms. In response, King Mswati also remarked on the
positive relationship and commonalities between the two
countries, noting that his visit to Lesotho would give him the
chance to seek advice regarding Swaziland's new responsibilities
under SADC and the African Union. The Swazi King noted that,
"The time has come for us as Africans to demonstrate to the
world that we can properly manage our affairs." In conclusion,
Mswati noted the importance of the upcoming SADC conference on
poverty and development in Mauritius to discuss poverty
reduction strategies and the importance of information
technology transfer for the region's development.


4. On April 10-11, King Mswati travelled with King Letsie on a
cultural tour including visits to the Liphofung Caves, Letseng
Diamond Mines, Katse Dam, and the royal village of Matsieng.
Despite a workers' strike at Letseng Diamond Mines, all three of
these visits proceeded without incident. King Mswati departed
Lesotho in the afternoon of April 11.

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Royal Hospitality, Star Power
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5. COMMENT: Lesotho's royal family gave King Mswati III a
grand welcome for his visit to Lesotho. However, the two
monarchies, while quite friendly, are very different. King
Letsie's genteel separation from Lesotho's tumultuous political
environment and his limited constitutional executive authority
may have struck King Mswati as a curiosity. And although an
absolute monarch may seem like an anachronism in Lesotho, King
Mswati III's visit to Lesotho emphasized the similarities of two
small kingdoms looking to forge their own paths in the shadow of
their much larger neighbor, South Africa. END COMMENT.

NOLAN