Arafat arrives in Cape Town

President Nelson Mandela of South Africa today invested his country's order of merit, excellent class, awarded to foreigners, to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Arafat, in return presented President Mandela with a medallion representing the Star of Holy Jerusalem.

Officials representing the two sides signed today two official documents aiming at strengthening health and education ties between the two sides. Late Monday, Arafat arrived in Cape Town amid tightened security measures in a three-day official visit to South Africa.

During his visit Arafat will hold talks with Mandela on the Palestinian- Israeli negotiations and the obstacles the talks suffer as well as relations between the Palestinian authority and South Africa.

This is the first visit by Arafat to South Africa since diplomatic relations were established between Johannesburg and the Palestinian Authority in 1995.