PM Meets SA President

Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase met with the President of South Africa, His Excellency Thabo Mbeki, at Denarau Nadi this morning.

The closed door meeting lasted for a little over 20 minutes.

Mr. Mbeki is in the country to attend the 3rd Summit of the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Heads of State and Government summit. This is his first visit to Fiji.

Thabo Mbeki was elected President of South Africa on 14 June 1999 and was inaugurated as President on 16 June 1999.

Prior to that Mbeki was hand-picked by Nelson Mandela after the April 1994 general election to be the first Deputy President of the new Government of National Unity.

At the 50th Conference of the ANC at Mafikeng, South Africa, in 1997, Thabo Mbeki was elected as the new President of the African National Congress.

Mr. Mbeki is expected to leave the country at the end of this week.