The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
March 25, 2009

South Africa Cancels Peace Conference Following Dalai Lama Ban
--------------------------------------------------------------



South Africa has canceled a global peace conference following an uproar
over its ban on the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama from attending.
The South African government has been accusing of caving in to China,
one of its largest trading partners. On Tuesday, Nelson Mandela’s
grandson, Mandla, condemned the move.

Mandla Mandela: “It’s a sad day for South Africa. It’s a sad for Africa.
And we are a nation that’s striving to be a leader in the African
continent, to also be advanced as far as our peace initiatives we have
in Burundi and the Sudan. I am very saddened today to see that someone
like the Dalai Lama, who all our laureates hold highly, has been turned
down on their visa application.”



.