By Marius Bosch
Reuters

updated10/11/2010 10:54:44 AM ET
2010-10-11T14:54:44

Nelson Mandela never wanted to become South African

president and would have preferred a younger person to

become the country's first black ruler, according to a new book.


Mandela says in the book "Conversations with Myself,"

due to be launched Tuesday, that he only accepted after

senior leaders of the African National Congress put

pressure on him.


"My installation as the first democratically elected

President of the Republic of South Africa was imposed

on me much against my own advice," Mandela said.

The book, compiled by the Nelson Mandela Foundation

from personal letters, interviews and an unpublished

sequel to his autobiography, contains a foreword by

U.S. President Barack Obama.


Mandela, 92, said he would have preferred to serve the

new South African state without holding any position in

the ANC or government. After being put on the carpet by

one of the ANC's leaders, he changed his mind, but made

clear that he would serve only one five-year term.

Mandela's release on February 11, 1990, after 27 years in

apartheid-era jails, set in motion the country's transformation

to democracy, which culminated in historic all-race elections

in 1994 and his inauguration as the country's first black leader.

Reconciliation between blacks and whites was the cornerstone
of Mandela's presidency, which ended in May 1999.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/39615046/ns/today-books/


[More people like Mandela need to be in office. How about Dali Lama?
(or Chris Rock. We be laughing ourselves silly)
Seriously though, why don't we have more people like these two
in office, all around the world? Make a better team. Or shall I
say New World Order. World wide peace is what, NWO is.]

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