MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER VOICES CONCERN ABOUT LAND BILL

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000388

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/S; INR/AF
STATE PASS TO MCC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV LT
SUBJECT: MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY LEADER VOICES CONCERN ABOUT LAND BILL

REF: A) MASERU 376 B) MASERU 380

MASERU 00000388 001.2 OF 002


--------------
Summary
--------------


1. On Wednesday, October 28, Ambassador Rob Nolan met with the
main opposition party leader, Tom Thabane, at the Embassy. The
meeting's primary purpose was to clarify Thabane's opinion on
the U.S. stance concerning the controversial Land Bill (ref A).
According to Thabane, the ruling party has been telling
opposition parties and the public that passage of the Land Bill
is a prerequisite for continued Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) funding. Many citizens of the Kingdom seem to think that
this bill is a means of exploiting the Basotho people, taking
away their one true possession -land - and giving it to
Americans or other foreign nationals (primarily the Chinese).
The Ambassador clarified that the Land Bill is an initiative of
the Lesotho Government, and non-passage of the Bill will not
affect MCC funding. The Embassy will host a meeting with other
opposition leaders on November 5 to share this same message.

--------------
Thabane uncertain about U.S. intentions
--------------


2. Thabane began the visit with many references to Lesotho's
ongoing political discussions concerning the 2007 elections, and
his disappointment in the way democracy is currently being
handled here. Then he turned to the Land Bill issue. He
indicated that most people in the country think that MCC funding
is directly tied to passage of the Land Bill, and that if the
bill does not pass, compact funds will be taken away. He
further noted that this opinion is being fostered by the
Government of Lesotho (GOL),which is openly stating that the
U.S. has set this condition.


3. The Ambassador let Thabane know that "Lesotho has to be
ready" for land reform. He clarified that if the Land Bill does
not pass, the remaining 16 MCC activities will not automatically
be cancelled. If the current bill doesn't work, it may be
possible to use the $20 million reserved for land reform to
develop a new Land Bill that is acceptable to everyone. The
Ambassador encouraged the Land Bill discussion, noting that this
is the first "healthy political debate" we have really witnessed
in Lesotho, as all other debate seems to be focused on the 2007
election difficulties or on petty differences between parties.

--------------
Ambassador offers to meet opposition
--------------


4. Thabane was grateful for the opportunity to talk about the
Land Bill, and expressed relief that "our friendship with you
will not be damaged by closer look into" the Land Bill, and that
even non-passage of the Land Bill does not jeopardize the other
16 activities. He stressed the importance of having a
discussion with all the opposition leaders, because "nobody's
correcting the impression that the U.S. is pushing the Land
Bill." Thabane agreed that Land Reform is needed but stated
that "we must postpone the debate so that we can come up with a
suitable bill." He agreed to communicate to his colleagues in
the opposition that we want to meet with them on this issue, and
the Ambassador agreed to hold the meeting at his residence.

--------------
Impression of the SADC Troika visit
--------------


5. Thabane also responded to questions about the recent visit by
the Troika of the SADC Organ (ref B). He stated that opposition
parties were not impressed, feeling that this new effort
includes an attempt to "gloss off" the Masire report, which was
relatively supportive of the opposition's position. The SADC
visit was primarily a fact-finding mission, and this was not
acceptable to the opposition, who felt that the Troika "just
came", but didn't actually accomplish anything. Thabane
personally "implores the international community to support the
Masire report," and wants to see SADC follow through on Masire's
recommendations.


6. On the other hand, Thabane is fully supportive of the new
mediation process headed by the Christian Council of Lesotho
(CCL),which began in August. He believes that the CCL is a
good faith partner and is willing to pursue dialogue through
this process. He also stressed that Lesotho must have
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) reform. He'd like to see
Lesotho fix the IEC, develop new electoral laws, and then have a
new election.

--------------

MASERU 00000388 002.2 OF 002


Comment
--------------


7. Although the connection of the US to the debate over the Land
Bill is unfortunate, it is refreshing to see a true political
issue come to the fore and incite more than partisan political
debate. The Land Bill has motivated all segments of Lesotho's
society and forced them to consider some very basic issues about
their heritage and how some cultural baggage may impede economic
development. Post has been working with our GOL interlocutors
on the Land Bill to ensure that fears about land reform do not
lead to anti-American sentiments; in recent weeks, the rhetoric
against the U.S. has largely disappeared.


8. Thabane reaffirmed the fact that all political actors in the
country agree that election reform is necessary, but they are
continually sidetracked by the contested results of the 2007
elections. Getting them to focus on revamping election law
would be a true achievement. However, Thabane's new focus on
electoral reform vs. allocation of seats is probably a simple
indication that he is expecting or hoping for a snap election,
given his advanced age and the likelihood that he will not be a
viable candidate for Prime Minister much longer. In a related
note, when discussing the SADC Troika visit, Thabane mentioned
that he himself had never personally met any of these Ministers
during his travels when he was part of the GOL. It was evident
that Thabane felt insulted by the Troika's treatment of the
opposition, particularly because SADC did not find someone more
senior and better-known as their representatives.
NOLAN