STATEMENT BY FW DE KLERK
It was with the greatest sadness that I have learned of the death of Nelson Mandela. My wife Elita and I would like to convey our deepest condolences to his wife, Graça Machel, the Mandela family and their friends, to the ANC and indeed to the entire South African nation.
South Africa has lost one of its founding fathers and one of its greatest sons.
I first met Nelson Mandela on 13 December 1989, a few months after I became president. We did not discuss any substantive issues and spent most of the time sizing one another up. We both reached the conclusion that we would be able to do business with one another.
At my next meeting with him, on 9 February 1990, we discussed his imminent release, scheduled for 11 February. He was initially taken aback and insisted that the release would have to be delayed to give the ANC time to make the necessary arrangements. I said that that would not be possible but, in a spirit of compromise, agreed that he would be able to choose the place of his release. He chose Cape Town.
In the years that followed, it was an honour for me to have been able to work with Mr Mandela in the process that led to the adoption of the interim Constitution and our first democratic elections in April 1994. Although we were political opponents - and although our relationship was often stormy - we were always able to come together at critical moments to resolve the many crises that arose during the negotiation process.