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The British High Commission in Lesotho and Government of Lesotho on 12 June in
Maseru, commemorated the 76th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II and the 50th
anniversary of her accession to the throne.
The occasion was
attended by members of Diplomatic corps, Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials.
*******
REMARKS BY THE HIGH COMMISSIONER OF BRITAIN TO LESOTHO, JAMES
MARTIN, AT THE CELEBRATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II BIRTHDAY/GOLDEN
JUBILEE
MASERU - 12 JUNE 2002
Honourable Minister(s)
Your Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is not our tradition to mark the Queen's Birthday with speeches. We
are after all marking a Royal Birthday and not a National Day. However, I think it appropriate to make an exception on this occasion.
We are celebrating not only Her Majesty's 76th birthday but also her
Golden Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne.
It is for me a pleasurable coincidence that I find myself back in
Africa at this time. 50 years ago, it was whilst on safari in
Africa that the then Princess Elizabeth received the sad news that her
father, King George VI had died. With that news came the awesome
responsibility of ascending the throne at the relatively early age of
26 and becoming not only the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland but also the Head of the Commonwealth. The Queen has said that she sees her Golden
Jubilee an opportunity
to express her thanks for the support and loyalty she has enjoyed
during her reign; but it is also an occasion for the British people
and citizens of the Commonwealth to acknowledge and celebrate the 50
years of dedicated service by Her Majesty.
During the past 50 years, Her Majesty's commitment and dedication to
public service has been tireless. For example, she is the patron of
over 600 organisations and has undertaken 251 official visits to 129
countries in the intervening years. Since 1952, she has witnessed the
transformation of the international landscape, the birth of the
Commonwealth, the growth of the European Union, the end of the Cold
War and the emergence of the evil that is international terrorism. She has also witnessed the transformation of British society and its
consolidation to become a richly multicultural and multi-faith
society. Today we mark her contribution to that society. Long
may
she reign.
Before concluding, I wish to focus a little more closely on our
host nation. I consider I must take this opportunity publicly to
commend the conduct of the recent parliamentary elections in Lesotho. Allow me to congratulate the Kingdom of Lesotho, its people, its
political leaders, its military and police and its public servants for
the contribution they have all made to the recent peaceful and
successful elections. The 2002 elections represent a historic step
to create a more inclusive and representative system for the benefit
of the people of Lesotho. This bode well for the economic and social
development of the country as a whole.
Finally, let me record that my Government is not insensitive to the
current food crisis that is affecting one in five Lesotho people and
Government of Lesotho's appeal for help in overcoming this. Clare
Short, our Secretary of State for International Development, is today
holding discussions with senior officials following the recent Southern
African Development Community (SADC)/United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) meeting in Johannesburg, to work out the detail of the
United Kingdom's response. Although I cannot anticipate the exact
amount of assistance that will be made available to Lesotho, I can
indicate that this is likely to be substantial.
On a similar note, let me also mark the enduring friendship that
exists between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lesotho; and
with those words, and much to your relief I am sure, I shall now come
to a close.
Please join me in raising our glasses to toast the health, good
fortune and long life of His Majesty, King Letsie III.
*****
REMARKS BY LESOTHO MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MOHLABI KENNETH TSEKOA, AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTHDAY AND GOLDEN JUBILEE
OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND
NORTHERN IRELAND
MASERU - 12 JUNE 2002
Your Excellency High Commissioner Martin and Mrs. Martin
Honourable President of the Senate
Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly
Your Lordship Chief Justice
Honourable Ministers
Your Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Missions
Honourable Judges of the High Court
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
Rarely has an auspicious occasion taken place amidst such energetic
activity. England continues to make good progress in the World Cup,
Lennox Lewis' demolition of Mike Tyson was unquestionable on Sunday, 09 June
2002 and back home, Lesotho Cabinet Ministers were sworn-in a few
hours ago following one of Lesotho's most peaceful general elections.
Today we rejoice with the people and Government of Britain during this
very special occasion that marks the 76th Birthday of Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II and the 50th Anniversary of Her Majesty's accession
to the throne.
Fittingly, it is with a deep sense of pleasure and privilege that, on
behalf of the people of Lesotho and on my own behalf, I convey our
congratulations and warm greetings, through you High Commissioner, to
Her Majesty the Queen and to the people of your great country on this
happy occasion.
Lesotho and Britain are Kingdoms with constitutional Monarchs. They
have excellent relations and good friendship based on their common
aspirations and shared values founded on their rich cultural heritage
and glorious traditions. These strong friendly ties, which bind the
people of Lesotho and Great Britain together, started during the time of the British Empire when the Founder of
the Lesotho nation - King Moshoeshoe I sought the protection of the British Government during the
reign of Queen Victoria. Most importantly, these ties of friendship
have enhanced cooperation for mutual benefit between our two countries.
Britain and Lesotho are indeed, characterised by striking
similarities in many respects: both the Lesotho and British peoples
respectively fought their wars courageously and defeated their enemies
in defence of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity
of their respective countries. They stimulated and accelerated the
social progress and economic development of their countries and they
worked hard to maintain and promote the greatness of their nations and
to build a better future for posterity.
Mr. High Commissioner, the Government and people of Lesotho, on this
significant event, share and express in a special way, their deep
sentiments of joy and profound gratitude with the British Government
and people as we celebrate not only Her Majesty's 76th birthday but
also her Golden Jubilee - the 50th Anniversary of her accession to the
throne. We applaud Her Majesty the Queen and the British Government
as well as the people of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the
pivotal role Her Majesty is playing, especially as Head of the Commonwealth
and also for the remarkable achievements she is making in the affairs
of her country. Her resilience and strength of character have
persisted in the face of the rapidly changing global environment often
characterised by formidable challenges since her accession to the
throne. For instance, as you have already elaborately and eloquently
cited, the recent passing away of Princess Margaret and of Her Majesty the Queen Mother,
which we deeply regret. May their souls
rest in peace.
Britain is one of our most reliable partners in development
cooperation and assistance. It is fitting therefore, for me to
express my Government's satisfaction and gratitude at the level of
both bilateral and multilateral assistance that the United Kingdom
continues to extend to Lesotho and to the Southern African Development
Community (SADC). Our cooperation has
always been characterised by our countries' adherence to the
principles of mutual respect and shared ideals as members of the
Commonwealth and of the United Nations.
In this regard, the Government and people of Lesotho thank the British
Government for the various forms of the necessary support and
assistance given by Britain to Lesotho for the success of the recent
general elections won by the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LDC) by a
landslide victory through a new system of the Mixed Member Proportional
(MMP) representation. The people of Lesotho are proud of the manner in which
the recent elections were conducted and delivered. We hope that other
countries will follow the good example given by Lesotho in using this
new model which will bring and make a valuable contribution to nation
- building, stability, socio-economic development, the buttressing of
the democratic process, true and lasting peace for our people.
Finally, on behalf of the Government and people of Lesotho and on
my own behalf, may I now invite you all to join me in proposing a
toast to the personal good health and well-being of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II, to the happiness of Her Majesty's family and to the
continued prosperity of the Government and people of the United
Kingdom.
TO THE QUEEN!!!!!
*****
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