/ 2 May 1999

RUSSIA AWARDS MANDELA DOCTORATES

PRESIDENT Nelson Mandela on Friday received two honorary doctorates from the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Mandela, who arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, told members of the academy that he will always cherish his association with the great intellectuals. “I would interpret your action also as a tribute to the intellectuals of our country, of all colours and backgrounds, who have followed their calling to fashion the complex experience and aspirations of our diverse society into a single, realisable vision of a society at peace with itself,” he said.