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REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, THABO MBEKI TO THE MAYOR OF THE ROYAL BOROUGH OF WINDSOR AND MAIDENHEAD, Britain, 12 June 2001
Your worship, the Lord Mayor of Windsor and Maidenhead,
Honourable Members of the Council,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is indeed a memorable experience to be in this royal city, with its history and traditions, and to be the guest of your most gracious Queen. My wife, Zanele, and I are warmly appreciative of this gesture, coming as it does only five years after the State Visit by the remarkable Nelson Mandela.
I bring you the greetings, and the support, of my country-people. We are partners, with the British, in the cause of creating a world peace and plenty; and, with your help, we shall get to grips with the many problems that beset our country and the continent.
The relationship between South Africa and Britain is steeped in history, a history that has been both bloody and friendly. We have the proximity and friendship of peoples who have fought and made up.
I am deeply indebted to both the City and the Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead for this signal honour bestowed on us today, and I wish your gentle and gracious people to know of my immense pleasure at being here.
Thank you for the kind words of welcome you have conveyed to us. The welcome extended to us not only reaffirms the long-standing ties between our countries and people, but also, clearly, constitutes a deepening and blossoming of this relationship.
May this relationship continue to flourish like a tree growing towards the sun.
May the short time we spend here in your midst, be productive and full of promise and may it strengthen the ties that bind us.
Once more, we thank you for your warm welcome.
Contact: Jennifer Jean Chetty on 082 4110307/ 012-3375226
Issued by: The Presidency, 12 June 2001