Mandela begins SE Asian tour

Mandela begins SE Asian tour

MANILA (Reuter): South African President Nelson Mandela,
accompanied for the first time on a state visit by his Mozambican
sweetheart, arrived in Manila yesterday at the start of his
maiden tour of southeast Asia.

"This part of the world has made fantastic achievements
economically and politically," Mandela told reporters. "I have
looked forward to coming to this region because of the enormous
lessons which we can learn in trying to raise the living
conditions of our people."

Mandela and Graca Machel, the 51-year-old widow of former
Mozambican president Somora Machel, were greeted by a 21-gun
salute and a welcome with full military honors at the
presidential palace in Manila.

Philippine president Fidel Ramos hailed Mandela as "one of the
towering figures of the century".

"His struggle changed the face of race relations across the
world," Ramos told a news conference.

"Visiting the Republic of the Philippines is the fulfillment
of a long and cherished dream, an unforgettable experience,"
Mandela wrote in the visitors book at the palace.

Mandela introduced Graca, dressed in maroon and gold, as his
"companion" to Ramos, who smiled and shook hands with her.

Asked by a reporter later if a wedding was in the offing, the
78-year-old Mandela said: "My cultural background does not permit
me to discuss this question with people young enough to be my
children or grandchildren".

Ramos, standing next to him, laughed and clapped, and Mandela
would not speak more on the subject.

Mandela was divorced from his second wife Winnie last year
after a bitter court battle in which he acknowledged she had been
unfaithful to him. His first wife Evelyn lives in the rural south
coast Transkei, where he has built a retirement home.

He leaves for Brunei tomorrow and will visit Malaysia and
Singapore before returning to South Africa.