Thursday, December 5, 2013

Statement on the Passing of Nelson Mandela

Statement
Today the world has lost one of its most important leaders and one of its finest human beings.  And Hillary, Chelsea and I have lost a true friend.
History will remember Nelson Mandela as a champion for human dignity and freedom, for peace and reconciliation. We will remember him as a man of uncommon grace and compassion, for whom abandoning bitterness and embracing adversaries was not just a political strategy but a way of life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Graça and his family and to the people of South Africa. All of us are living in a better world because of the life that Madiba lived.  He proved that there is freedom in forgiving, that a big heart is better than a closed mind, and that life’s real victories must be shared.
Hillary Rodham Clinton U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton boards a plane to Qunu, for a private meeting with former South African President Nelson Mandela, at Waterkloof Air Base in Johannesburg Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinton U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Nelson Mandela at his home in QunU U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Nelson Mandela at his home in Qunu Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nelson Mandela Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nelson Mandela U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Nelson Mandela at his home in Qunu Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nelson Mandela Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nelson Mandela,  Graca Machel U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton poses for a photograph with Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, at his home in Qunu Hillary Rodham Clinton, Nelson Mandela U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Nelson Mandela at his home in Qunu
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