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.