MASERU, Feb 8, 2008 (AFP) - Botswana's former president Sir Ketumile Masire delivered a downbeat assessment Friday of the prospects of breaking an impasse between government and opposition in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho.

GABORONE, Nov 7, 2007 (AFP) - Two of Africa's most respected elder statesmen, Botswana's former president Ketumile Masire and Mozambican ex-leader Joaquim Chissano, believe the continent is finally shedding its reputation as a theatre of conflict and corrupt governance.