Kingdom meeting its obligations, says foreign minister

Swaziland's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Abednego Ntshangase on Monday claimed there was no reason why the kingdom should lose benefits arising from the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), news reports said. The South African Press Association reported that Ntshangase was speaking at a press conference in Pretoria following a meeting with counterparts from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Lesotho and US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. US Secretary of State Colin Powell had recently sent a warning to Swaziland - the last absolute monarchy in sub-Saharan Africa - that it could lose its AGOA status if it did not attend to issues of democracy and the rule of law. Ntshangase reportedly said: "As far as I'm aware we are meeting the standards [of governance demanded by AGOA]. If there are any problems we are attending to them internally." AGOA allows for preferential access to US market for African countries that abide by certain conditions, among them market reform and good governance. IRIN has previously reported on the struggle by outlawed political parties and labour unions for democratic reform and the rule of law in the kingdom. King Mswati III and his government have been accused of ignoring several court rulings and suppressing opposition political parties - which remain banned by royal decree - and stifling the activities of civil society groups agitating for a new constitution. Late last year, Swaziland's appeal court bench quit after the government decided to ignore a ruling that would have limited Mswati's power.