President Nelson Mandela said on Monday while visiting Finland that he is confident that South Africa and the European Union will reach a deal on a free trade pact. ”We have a lot of friends in the EU and we are optimistic this problem will be resolved,” Mandela told a news conference with Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari. On a recent visit to South Africa, a delegation from the European parliament said a deal might be approved by the end of March.