LESOTHO TO ATTEND UN ZIMBABWE ROUNDTABLE, SEND 31 ELECTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L MASERU 000178

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR AF/S, IO

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/19/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV KDEM UN ZI LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO TO ATTEND UN ZIMBABWE ROUNDTABLE, SEND 31 ELECTION
OBSERVERS

REF: A) STATE 65274; B) MASERU 174

CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher M. Smith, Public Diplomacy, Economic,
and Political Officer, P/DEP, Department of State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Charge spoke on June 18 with Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Tebollo Metsing, who, after
conferring with Minister of Foreign Affairs Tsekoa, said that
"Lesotho would most certainly participate" in the UN roundtable
on Zimbabwe (ref A). Lesotho's election monitoring delegation
will be comprised of 28 individuals from Parliament, civil
society, and the diplomatic service. One delegation member
already on the ground described the situation as "tense." As
Lesotho played a constructive role on Zimbabwe during its
2006/2007 SADC chairmanship and senior GOL officials have
maintained a public posture that Zimbabwean leaders must respect
human rights and the will of their people, there is good reason
to hope that Lesotho's monitoring role will be effective. END
SUMMARY.

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Demarche on June 19 UN Roundtable
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2. (U) Charge spoke on June 18 with Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Principal Secretary Tebollo Metsing and delivered ref A talking
points. PS Metsing, who immediately conferred with Minister of
Foreign Affairs Tsekoa, said that "Lesotho would most certainly
participate in the roundtable." He expressed appreciation for
the invitation, asked for clarification about the specific time
and location, took particular note of the role of Burkina Faso
as co-chair, and committed to sending instructions to Lesotho's
PermRep to attend the June 19 event.

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Lesotho's Election Monitoring Delegation in Zimbabwe
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3. (U) Through mission contacts at the MFA, Lesotho's High
Commission in Pretoria, and local civil society groups, we have
learned that Lesotho's election monitoring delegation will total
28, including:

- 16 Members of Parliament, including the Deputy Speaker and
Head of Delegation Mr. Sephiri Motanyane
- 10 civil society representatives
- 2 Individuals from Lesotho's High Commission in Pretoria

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An Impression from the Front Lines
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4. (C) Poloff spoke with Mr. Edmond Motanyane, counselor at
Lesotho's High Commission in Pretoria, already in Zimbabwe.
[NOTE: This Mr. Motanyane is not the Deputy Speaker of the
Parliament and Head of Delegation, but his son.] According to
his account, Lesotho observers may move freely, but the
situation is tense and "like a cold war." He stated that most
violent incidents occur at night when international observers
are asleep.

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Lesotho Could Play Constructive Role
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5. (SBU) COMMENT: Lesotho played a constructive role on Zimbabwe
during its role as SADC Chair in 2006/2007. According to local
sources, however, Lesotho has focused on procedural issues
during recent SADC discussions on Zimbabwe, giving some
participants the apparent impression of being unhelpful. Senior
GOL officials, including FM Tsekoa, have nonetheless maintained
a public posture that Zimbabwe leaders must respect human rights
and the will of their people. END COMMENT.

MURPHY