Statement on the Release of Nelson Mandela

President de Klerk has announced his intention to release Nelson Mandela [African National Congress leader] on Sunday. I welcome this move and view it as another significant step on the road to the nonracial, democratic South Africa which we all desire. President de Klerk has shown bold and imaginative leadership in recent days which has earned the admiration of many of us who hope for swift and peaceful evolution in South Africa.

As I stated earlier, I look forward to meeting independently with State President de Klerk and Mr. Mandela in the coming months as part of my continuing dialog with South African leadership.