Mandela in Manama after Muscat

President Nelson Mandela of South Africa arrived in Manama on Thursday to offer condolences on the death of the late Sheikh Issa Bin Hamad al-Khaleifa on March 6.

The Gulf News Agency said that Bahraini Minister of the Interior Sheikh Muhammad Bin Khaleifa and several Bahraini officials received Mandela at the airport. Mandela, who arrived from Oman, will hold talks with the President of Bahrain, Sheikh Hamad Bin Issa al-Khalelfa.

In Muscat, President Mandela called for the establishment of the Gulf Institute for Studies in South Africa and for efforts to "strengthen mutual understanding."

This is the last official visit for Mandela (80), who will quit his post following the general elections in South Africa on June 2.