Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the situation in Lesotho; and what steps he is taking to support the reinstatement of democracy in that country.

British High Commission Officials in Pretoria, who cover our relations with Lesotho, continue to closely monitor developments in the country given the deteriorating political and security situation there since 30 August. I welcome the engagement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and have expressed our hope that all Lesotho’s parties will work together to ensure disputes are settled peacefully in line with Lesotho’s Constitution. At my request our High Commissioner reiterated these messages in a phone call to Lesotho’s Prime Minister on 5 September.