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Mandela, Mubarak exchange awards
Libya's standoff with West on agenda at meeting
October 21, 1997
Web posted at: 3:13 p.m. EDT (1913 GMT)CAIRO (CNN) -- South African President Nelson Mandela and Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak were expected to discuss Libya's standoff with the West on Tuesday, one day ahead of Mandela's visit to Tripoli, over U.S. objections.
Mandela arrived in the Egyptian capital on Monday on the first leg of a four-nation tour.
A L S O :
Map of countries on Mandela's tour of North Africa
At a ceremony in the Ittihadiya palace in the northern suburb of Heliopolis on Tuesday, Mubarak and Mandela awarded each other their countries' highest honors: Mandela received the Collar of the Nile and Mubarak the Order of Good Hope.
Mandela thanked Egypt for its support during the apartheid years of white-minority rule in South Africa.
In his brief speech, Mandela referred to his first visit to Egypt in 1962 when he was still a freedom fighter. He also praised the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser, whom he met then, adding that Nasser was a great source of inspiration for him at the time.
Egypt was also the first country Mandela visited after his release from prison in 1990.
Mubarak referred to his guest as "a man of pride who chose too meet his destiny head on and chose to battle the forces of darkness alone."
Before the ceremony, Mandela laid wreaths at the tombs of Egypt's unknown soldier, former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Nasser.
Libya talks
Later in the day, the two leaders a held closed-door meeting that presidential sources said would cover the Middle East peace process and pressing African issues as well as economic cooperation.
Mandela and Mubarak also were expected to discuss United Nations sanctions on Libya over the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am plane over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people.
The U.N. imposed the air and military embargo on Libya in 1992 after it refused to hand over two suspects wanted in Britain and the United States in connection with the bombing.
On Monday, South African Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo called for an end to the sanctions.
Mandela's decision to visit Libya at part of his tour has angered the United States, which includes Libya on its list of nations that sponsor terrorism.
Mandela dismisses the U.S. criticism as racist, saying the visit fulfills a moral commitment to the North African nation and its leader, Moammar Gadhafi, for supporting the African National Congress during its fight against apartheid.
To comply with the air ban, Mandela will travel overland from Tunisia on Wednesday to reach Libya. He also will visit Morocco during his first tour of North Africa since his election in 1994.
Correspondent James Martone contributed to this report.
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