Bush, Mandela mend rift

2003-08-17 09:55

Crawford, Texas - US President George W Bush and revered South African statesman Nelson Mandela on Saturday took a step towards mending fences by speaking for the first time since the Iraq war, the White House said.

Bush, enjoying a month-long vacation at his ranch near this flyspeck Texas town, "welcomed a call from President Mandela," spokesperson Scott McClellan told reporters in a conference call.

The two leaders, who broke sharply over the US-led invasion of Iraq, discussed "the importance of bringing peace and democracy to the world", said McClellan, who did not say whether they specifically discussed the war.

During his July 7-12 trip to Africa, Bush did not meet with Mandela, who was publicly and fiercely critical of the campaign to topple Saddam Hussein, at one point calling the US leader someone who "cannot think properly".

In their 10-minute conversation on Saturday, the two leaders also discussed the importance of fighting the spread of HIV/Aids in Africa, according to McClellan.

- AFP