<h3>Mandela: U.S. wants holocaust</h3>
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (CNN) -- Former South African president Nelson Mandela has slammed the U.S. stance on Iraq, saying that "one power with a president who has no foresight, who cannot think properly, is now wanting to plunge the world into a holocaust."
Speaking at the International Women's Forum, Mandela said "if there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America."
Mandela said U.S. President George W. Bush covets the oil in Iraq "because Iraq produces 64 percent of the oil in the world. What Bush wants is to get hold of that oil." In fact Iraq contributes to only 5 percent of world oil exports.
The Bush administration is threatening military action if Iraq does not account for weapons of mass destruction and fully cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.
Receiving applause for his comments, Mandela said Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are "undermining" past work of the United Nations.
"They do not care. Is it because the secretary-general of the United Nations is now a black man?" said Mandela, referring to Kofi Annan, who is from Ghana.
Blair is expected to discuss the issue of Iraq when he meets with South African President Thabo Mbeki in London Saturday, a day after the British leader's meeting with Bush.
Mandela said he would support without reservation any action agreed upon by the United Nations against Iraq, which Bush and Blair say has weapons of mass destruction and is a sponsor of terror groups, including Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
Nobel Peace Laureate Mandela, 84, has spoken out many times against Bush's stance, and South Africa's close ties with Libya and Cuba irked Washington during Mandela's own presidency.
In reaction to Mandela's comments, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush was grateful to the many European leaders who "obviously think differently."
"The president will understand there are going to be people who are more comfortable doing nothing about a growing menace that could turn into a holocaust. He respects people who differ with him. He will do what he thinks is right and necessary to protect our country," Fleischer said.

Source: CNN

I find that particular form of vehemence surprising.

I guess we can tell the political leanings of those who have updated Mandela on what he'd missed while he was in prison.

Here is another article from the BBC on Mandela

Former South African president Nelson Mandela has criticised US President George W Bush over Iraq, saying the sole reason for a possible US-led attack would be to gain control of Iraqi oil.

The US stance on Iraq is "arrogant" and would cause "a holocaust", Mr Mandela, a Nobel Peace laureate and one of the world's most respected figures, told a forum in Johannesburg.

"They just want the oil. We must expose this as much as possible"
-Nelson Mandela

He also said UK Prime Minister Tony Blair - who supports Washington over Iraq - was in fact the "US prime minister".

Mr Mandela, 84, accused both the US and UK governments of undermining the United Nations.

"Why does the United States behave so arrogantly?" Mr Mandela asked.

"Their friend Israel has got weapons of mass destruction but because it's their ally they won't ask the United Nations to get rid of them.

"They just want the oil," Mr Mandela went on. "We must expose this as much as possible."

Consistent attacks

Nelson Mandela called Mr Bush "a president who can't think properly and wants to plunge the world into holocaust".

He said war "would be devastating not just to Iraq but also to the whole of the Middle East and to other countries of the world".

Mr Mandela added that both Mr Bush and Tony Blair were undermining the United Nations.

"Is this because the secretary general of the United Nations [Ghanaian Kofi Annan] is now a black man? They never did that when secretary generals were white," he said.

Mr Mandela has consistently voiced strong opposition against a possible war on Iraq - in line with more diplomatic statements issued by the South African Government.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for President Thabo Mbeki told the BBC that said higher oil prices brought on by any Middle East war would condemn Africa to deep economic crisis.

Mr Mbeki is preparing to leave for Britain to meet Tony Blair at the weekend.

I'd say Mr. Mandella, at 84, is not completely aware of what's going on in the world around him.

Mr Mandela added that both Mr Bush and Tony Blair were undermining the United Nations.

***"Is this because the secretary general of the United Nations [Ghanaian Kofi Annan] is now a black man? They never did that when secretary generals were white," he said. ***

The idiocy of this statement, combined with the obvious mistakes in both quoted stories, tells me he isn't the man he once was. :(

[ 01-30-2003, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Ronn_Bman ]

Yeah, that quote did it for me too... poor guy seems to have lost it :(

I agree... That he criticises the US, fair enough; that's what Schroeder and Chirac have been doing as well. But to make far-fetched and downright insulting remarks like the holocaust one and the one Ronn mentioned, no. Not the guy he used to be. :(