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dam-l Lesotho Crisis/LS



>From the BBC web site:

                 Monday, September 21, 1998 Published at 16:38 GMT 17:38 UK


                 World: Africa

                 S Africa gives up Lesotho mediation



                 The South African government has cancelled until further notice
                 efforts to mediate in the political crisis paralysing the
mountain
                 kingdom of Lesotho.

                 Allegations of election fraud have sparked weeks of unrest
in the
                 capital Maseru.

                 Demonstrators have persuaded civil servants to stay away
from work
                 and most banks remain closed.

                 Despite intense diplomatic efforts by South Africa,
planned talks
                 between the government and opposition have failed to take
place.


                                   The BBC's Greg Barrow, reporting from
                                   Lesotho, says foreign diplomats are saying
                                   they can no longer see any way out of the
                                   current impasse.

                                   The three opposition parties behind the
                 organised protests claim the ruling Lesotho Congress
Party's landslide
                 victory in May was the result of fraud.

                 An independent report published last week concluded there were
                 ''serious concerns'' about the polls, but did not
recommend they be
                 declared invalid.

                 After a rebellion in the army 10 days ago, the military is
under new
                 leadership and has refrained from a major effort to
restore order in the
                 streets.

                 A foreign team of negotiators met separately with the
government
                 and opposition parties on Sunday to discuss security and
election
                 fraud issues.

                 About 1,500 protesters gathered at the palace in Maseru to
await the
                 outcome of the meetings, according to American diplomat Ray
                 Brown.

                 Army clears streets with gunfire

                 On Sunday night, the army confronted opposition supporters and
                 shots were fired to drive them off the streets.

                 Maseru, the site of two months of anti-government
protests, was quiet
                 on Monday, but state-owned Radio Lesotho was off the air.


                                   Workers said opposition supporters had
                                   threatened to storm the radio station on
                                   Sunday and announce on air that the
                                   government had fallen.

                                   In its report on the elections, the Langa
                 Commission, composed of representatives of South Africa,
Botswana
                 and Zimbabwe, cited "serious concerns" about the polls.

                 It said seals on ballot boxes had been prematurely broken and
                 material from different polling stations had been mixed
together.

                 But on Friday the government said it would not step down.

                 South African Safety and Security Minister Sydney Mufamadi met
                 Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and his cabinet ministers on
                 Sunday, but refused to comment on the talks.

                 The leader of the opposition Basotholand Congress Party, Molapo
                 Qhobela, dismissed as "unmitigated rubbish" the ruling
party's claim
                 that it could not meet opposition party leaders because of
fears of
                 violence.

                 King Letsie III, a figurehead monarch who the opposition
parties want
                 to dissolve parliament, has cancelled a visit to China
because of the
                 political situation.
end

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      Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
        and Editor, World Rivers Review
           International Rivers Network
              1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
                  Tel. (510) 848 1155   Fax (510) 848 1008
                        http://www.irn.org
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