India and the African country, Lesotho, signed a five-year economic and technical cooperation agreement in Delhi on thursday (5 August).

SYNOPSIS: Lesotho's Foreign Minister, Mr. Charles Molapo, started his talks at the Indian foreign Ministry on Wednesday (4 August) with his Indian counterpart Mr. Yeshwantrao Chavan. Under the agreement India will send experts to Lesotho and will provide technical training facilities in India. The agreement also makes provision for setting up joint industrial ventures in Lesotho. Other subjects covered in the talks included the coming non-aligned summit to be held in colombo, Sri Lanka. Mr. Chavan said they discussed ways of cooperating at the summit to ensure the non-aligned movement is strengthened and unified. Mr. Malapo's visit was scheduled to last one week.

The Lesotho Foreign Minister also had talks with the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Malapo said the liberation fight in South Africa was an honourable and justified struggle for human dignity and equality. Lesotho is a largely mountainous country completely land-locked by South Africa. Mr. Malapo said the struggle was not aimed at expulsion or exploitation of the white man.