Mandela to visit Indonesia

Mandela to visit Indonesia

CAPE TOWN (Reuter): South African President Nelson Mandela will visit Indonesia this weekend, a spokesman said yesterday.

Spokesman Parks Mankahlana said Mandela, who is also head of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), would leave on Thursday and return to South Africa on Sunday.

He said Mandela would be going on behalf of the ANC and not as South African president. Mandela was sworn in as South Africa's first black president in May.

Mankahlana said Mandela, 76, canceled a visit this past weekend to a summit of the Southern African Development Community in the Botswana capital Gaborone on the advice of his personal staff.

"There is nothing wrong with the President, we just felt that he needed a few days off after a hectic period," he said. Mandela is recovering from a complicated cataract operation to his left eye in July.

He is scheduled to begin a 10-day visit to the United States on Oct. 1.