Former president FW de Klerk on Tuesday invited President Thabo Mbeki to be a key speaker at an international conference on Unity in Diversity that he will be hosting later in the year.
De Klerk extended the invitation during a visit to Mbeki’s official residence in Pretoria.
Mbeki warmly welcomed De Klerk, who was accompanied by his wife Elita, to the residence, hugging him as he stepped out of the car.
”Once or twice a year I ask to see President Mbeki and we talk about the old times when we were joint deputy presidents,” De Klerk quipped as Mbeki referred questions to him.
De Klerk said the major reason for his request to see Mbeki was to invite him to speak at the conference he was planning in the second half of the year.
”We want to arrange a conference about unity and diversity and I want him and some other members to be key speakers at such international congress,” De Klerk said.
It was the only remarks the two made before starting their discussion.
The FW de Klerk Foundation website said the conference would examine ”the challenge of promoting an over-arching national identity while retaining and nurturing the rich cultural heritage of our diverse communities.” — Sapa