/ 17 May 2000

MBEKI HEADS FOR BRITAIN

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki flew to Britain late on Tuesday for a two-day visit which will be followed by a five-day tour of the United States. Mbeki will attend the third meeting of the United Kingdom/South Africa bilateral forum on May 18 and 19 and will holds talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair, likely to focus on the current turmoil in Zimbabwe. He will then travel to the US on May 20 for his first state visit there between May 21-26 during which he will hold talks with US President Bill Clinton, Vice-President Al Gore and representatives of the Congress and Senate Foreign Relations Committee.