LESOTHO: LOCAL TELEVISION STATION GIVES HEADLINE COVERAGE

UNCLAS MASERU 000185


DEPARTMENT FOR AF/S AND AF/PD; INR FOR RITA BYRNES

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KDEM KPAO KMDR LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: LOCAL TELEVISION STATION GIVES HEADLINE COVERAGE
TO JUNE 4 EVENT

REF: A. STATE 55334 B. MASERU 180

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Lesotho Television (LTV) covers Ambassador's discussion
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1. LTV attended Ambassador Nolan's June 4 event (ref B). During
their Friday, June 5 coverage, they re-broadcast a section of
Obama's speech beginning with: "America is not [...] at war
with Islam," and ending with: "The victims were innocent [...]
who had done nothing to harm anybody."


2. LTV had been requested not to video the actual discussion,
but requested interviews with two of the audience members:
Professor Tefetso Mothibe, Head of the History Department at the
National University of Lesotho (and the University's former vice
chancellor); and Mr. Ashraf Abubaker, a prominent local
businessman.

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Prominent local professor happy with America's "first steps"
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3. In his interview, Professor Mothibe stated in Sesotho, the
national language, that: "America used to believe in its power,
that it could stand on its own. For example, in the Iraq issue,
we were made to believe that Saddam is this bad guy who's out to
destroy the world (or has a vendetta against the whole world).
However, we soon realized that was not the actual issue." Two
positive steps he recognized from America are 1) "President
Obama believes that we must be able to sit down at worldwide
platforms like the United Nations and come to unilateral
decisions. 2) America has elected a black President. Despite
the fact that America is known as the 'land of opportunity',
nobody really thought it would happen."

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Businessman thinks Israel / Palestine issue key to peace
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4. Mr. Abubaker, in his interview, stated that: "The main
source of the conflict is the Israel / Palestine issue. It's
the fundamental problem. If Obama can intervene and correct
that situation between the Arabs and the Israelis, I believe and
trust that the world could live in peace; it would be the start
of the resolution of all these problems."

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Comment
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5. Lesotho papers are weekly, and normally are circulated on
Thursdays. This is the only local media coverage thus far, but
we will keep the Department posted. Reactions from individuals
have been overwhelmingly positive. The day after the speech,
the Public Diplomacy, Economic, and Political officer was told
that "Obama speaks better than any other politician I have ever
heard," and "This type of discussion (referring to the event
held at the Ambassador's residence) is way overdue." The
implication was that even if this is a small and non-extremist
Muslim community, other people pass through Lesotho all the
time, and the opinions of the local community can have an effect
on, and be affected by, those visitors.

NOLAN