18 May, 2005 01:07 GMT
South African President Nelson Mandela, 86, is in the United States seeking support for the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust, which supports his African-based charities.
President George W. Bush discussed battling AIDS in Africa and debt relief for poor countries during a meeting Tuesday with former South African President Nelson Mandela, the White House said.
Spokesman Scott McClellan said Bush was pleased to welcome Mandela back to the White House for a 20-minute talk that did not include the war in Iraq as a topic. Mandela has opposed the war.
"They discussed the importance of combating AIDS in Africa," McClellan said.
They talked about debt forgiveness for developing countries in Africa. He said Bush noted the United States was committed to debt relief and said the issue would be discussed at the Group of Eight summit in July.
Mandela said Monday democracy is spreading in Africa, but warned "true democracy cannot be imposed."
"It must be homegrown and the product of consensus," Mandela said in a brief speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.
Mandela, 86, is in the United States seeking support for the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust, which supports his African-based charities. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is widely revered for his role in bringing down apartheid in South Africa and leading it to peaceful reconciliation.
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