SPEECH BY HIS MAJESTY KING LETSIE III ON THE OCCASION OF THE PRESENTATION OF CREDENTIALS BY THE SECRETARY (AMBASSADOR) DESIGNATE OF THE GREAT SOCIALIST PEOPLE’S LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA, MR. MOHAMED F. ALAGAMUDI AT THE ROYAL PALACE ON THURSDAY, 20 MARCH 2003
 

YOUR EXCELLENCY,

  IT GIVES US GREAT PLEASURE TO welcome you and to RECEIVE THE LETTERS OF CREDENCE BY WHICH HIS EXCELLENCY, COLONEL MUAMMAR AL-GADDAFI, ACCREDITS YOU AS THE SECRETARY OF THE LIBYAN PEOPLE’S BUREAU OF THE GREAT SOCIALIST PEOPLE’S LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA TO OUR COURT.

YOUR EXCELLENCY,

  WE  WELCOME  WITH  APPRECIATION  PERSONAL  GREETINGS YOU  HAVE  BROUGHT  FROM  the  leader  of  the  great alfateh   revolution,   his   excellency  colonel  muammar   al-gaddafi, AND BY THE SAME TOKEN, PLEASE TAKE BACK FROM US OUR FRATERNAL GREETINGS TO HIS EXCELLENCY, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF lIbYa.

  YOUR EXCELLENCY,

YOUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY SIGNIFIES YOUR GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO MAINTAIN AND ENHANCE THE BONDS OF FRIENDSHIP AND SOLIDARITY WHICH EXIST BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES.  SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN LESOTHO AND lIbYa, LESOTHO HAS BENEFITTED GREATLY FROM lIbYa’s SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY in THE TRAINING of our LESOTHO DEFENCE FORCE officers and provision of tractors SO AS TO ENHANCE  OUR  FOOD  PRODUCTION.  WE CANNOT BUT REITERATE  OUR  DEEP  GRATITUDE  TO  the  government  of libya   for   these   forms  of  support.   INDEED,  MANY   of our  army  personnel   WHO  HAVE   received   training  are   imparting their ACQUIRED skills to their fellow officerS.  

  WE ARE EQUALLY appreciative of your COUNTRY’S COMMITMENT  TOWARDS  THE  PROMOTION  OF  ECONOMIC AND TRADE COOPERATION BETWEEN LESOTHO AND LIBYA as DEMONSTRATED BY THE INVESTMENT PROMOTION MISSIONS THAT VISITED OUR COUNTRY IN 2000 AND 2001 respectively.

  YOUR EXCELLENCY WILL RECALL THAT THE TRADE PROMOTION MISSIONS MET AND HELD DISCUSSIONS WITH VARIOUS GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES, PARA-STATALS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR.  IT IS THEREFORE, INCUMBENT UPON OUR two countries TO maintain the momentum GENERATED BY those discussions so that TANGIBLE AND FRUITFUL benefits CAN BE REALISED.

  YOUR EXCELLENCY,

  A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN OUR TWO

COUNTRIES    WAS    REACHED    IN   2000   WHEN   MY    PRIME MINISTER, Mr. MosisIli VISITED Libya.  The establishment of a Libyan peoples’ bureau here in Maseru and the opening of a resident Lesotho Mission in Tripoli were the logical consequences  of  that  visit.    INTERNATIONAL     EXCHANGE VISITS, PARTICULARLY AT HIGH LEVELS BETWEEN OUR RESPECTIVE ADMINISTRATIONS does not only SERVE TO BRING OUR TWO COUNTRIES AND PEOPLES CLOSER TO ONE ANOTHER but also serve to enhance the already cordial relations between our two countries.

  YOUR EXCELLENCY,

  OUR TWO COUNTRIES HAVE, OVER THE YEARS, SHARED COMMON POSITIONS   IN   VARIOUS  INTERNATIONAL  FORA  INCLUDING  THE GROUP OF 77, THE NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT, THE UNITED NATIONS  AND  THE  THEN  ORGANIZATION  OF  AFRICAN  UNITY (OAU)  and  NOW  renamed  AFRICAN  UNION  (AU).   We  wish  to   register  OUR   APPRECIATION  and  CONGRATULATE  YOUR GREAT  COUNTRY  FOR  THE  OUTSTANDING   ROLE   SHE   PLAYED TOWARDS THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE  OAU TO THE AU, CULMINATING IN THE SIRTE DECLARATION OF 9 September, 1999 WHICH WAS A PRECURSOR TO THE FORMATION OF THE AFRICAN UNION IN DURBAN LAST YEAR.

  YOUR EXCELLENCY,

  IN CONCLUSION, IT IS OUR HOPE THAT, WITH YOUR PRESENCE AMONGST  US,  THE  COOPERATION  THAT  ALREADY  EXISTS  BETWEEN OUR  TWO  COUNTRIES,  WILL  BE  SPURRED  TO  NEW  HEIGHTS.    ON OUR PART, WE WOULD LIKE TO ASSURE YOU THAT THE GOVERNMENT  AND  PEOPLE  OF  LESOTHO  WILL EXTEND TO YOU ALL THE NECESSARY SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE IN ORDER TO ENABLE YOU TO CARRY OUT YOUR ASSIGNMENT SUCCESSFULLY for the benefit of our RESPECTIVE peoples.

  FINALLY, YOUR EXCELLENCY, WE WISH TO CONVEY THROUGH YOU, OUR WARM GREETINGS   AND   BEST   WISHES   TO   his excellency,  colonel   Muammar   Al-Gaddafi,   FOR   HIS   PERSONAL  WELL-BEING AND FOR THE SUCCESS AND PROSPERITY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF THE GREAT SOCIALIST LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA.

  WELCOME to Lesotho, MR. SECRETARY!!!


20 MARCH 2003

  SOURCE: HIS MAJESTY'S OFFICE