ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - US President Barack Obama paid tribute to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela as he flew to South Africa on Friday but played down expectations of a meeting with the ailing leader during an Africa tour promoting democracy and food security. White House officials hope Obama's three-nation tour of Africa - his first substantial visit to the continent since taking office in 2009 - will compensate for what some view as years of neglect by America's first black president. The health of Mandela, the 94-year-old former president clinging to life in a Pretoria hospital, dominated Obama's day even before he arrived in Johannesburg. “I don't need a photo op,” Obama...
↧