Clinton Urges World to Do More for Africa

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, July 21, 2003

Clinton Urges World to Do More for Africa

The best birthday gift for Nelson Mandela would be for the world to do more for Africa, former President Bill Clinton says.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

The best birthday gift for Nelson Mandela would be for the world to do more for Africa, former President Bill Clinton says.

Presenting the inaugural Nelson Mandela Lecture to an auditorium packed with foreign and local dignitaries on Saturday, Clinton praised Mandela as a "gift to humanity."

Clinton and his wife, Hillary, joined the audience as they sang "Happy Birthday" to the former South African president, who turned 85 on Friday.

Later, they were among some 1,600 guests who attended a banquet to honor the man who is revered at home and abroad as a hero who preached racial reconciliation to his apartheid-scarred nation despite the 27 years he spent imprisoned by the white, racist regime.

Guests at the banquet included celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Robert DeNiro, South African President Thabo Mbeki and former President South African President F.W. de Klerk, who released Mandela from prison in 1990 and later shared the Nobel Peace Prize with him.

In his earlier speech, Clinton laid out a three-step plan he said Western nations could use to help raise Africa out of poverty. It included relieving Africa's foreign debt, increasing trade and helping to "unleash huge amounts of resources" for development.

Addressing an audience that included retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, rock musician Bono and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Clinton was interrupted several times by applause during a speech in which he compared Mandela to Mahatma Gandhi.

At the end of the evening Mandela and his third wife, Graca Machel, danced in a group that included the Clintons.

Source: Agencies

Questions?Comments? Click here

Major Milestone for China's Car Industry ( 3 Messages)

Scholars, or Trouble Makers?--People's Observation ( 64 Messages)

Why Renminbi Not to Be Revalued, Chief Economist of Morgan Stanley ( 19 Messages)

US Steps up Relations with Taiwan: Commentary ( 11 Messages)

Requisite Silence Self-discipline of the Media ( 2 Messages)