U.S.

Clinton Fetes South Africa's Mbeki

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 22, 2000 / 2:44 PM EDT / CBS

In a state dinner that brought together Washington's elite with Hollywood's most famous, South African President Thabo Mbeki praised President Clinton for a recent law expanding trade with Africa and said, "That friendship is getting closer and closer."

Awash in a sea of blooms beckoning a new season, Mr. Clinton and Mbeki celebrated the ties of their two governments.

"A great deal unites South Africa and the United States," Mr. Clinton said. "This relationship between our two countries is a very special thing."

Mr. Clinton welcomed Mbeki to the White House early Monday, where they talked about subjects ranging from civil strife in Sierra Leone and a black-white land ownership battle in neighboring Zimbabwe, to Africa's tumbling economy.

The dinner was a who's who list of guests to honor the South African leader: singers Harry Belafonte, Stevie Wonder and Lenny Kravitz, Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and William Frist of Tennessee along with director Spike Lee and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

Guests entered the South Lawn Pavilion to a "blush of summer" with at least 50 peonies adorning each table. The menu included several South African-inspired dishes.

It was a departure from serious talks the two held earlier on AIDS prevention and treatment in South Africa, where one in 10 are affected by the disease. Mbeki has drawn international criticism by questioning conventional AIDS treatments and by appointing to an AIDS advisory panel three U.S. members of a group that contends AIDS is not always caused by HIV.

But Monday night there was little hint of that debate as officials marked Mbeki's first visit to Washington since succeeding Nelson Mandela as South Africa's president.

The dinner also served as a respite for Hillary Rodham Clinton, who broke off campaigning for the Senate from New York to attend. Mrs. Clinton, wearing a black Pamela Dennis gown, appeared relaxed and chatted with several guests.

The White House chose a lavish affair to host the South African delegation, inviting some 360 guests to sample fare that included green and white asparagus, wild leek marinated lobster, herbed spring vegetables and apricot ginger glazed lamb, complete with African spices. For dessert, there was pineapple surprise Queenstown, an ice cream sherbet treat named for the South African town that boasts several pineapple farms.

Guests were entertained by pianist Awadagin Pratt, who played several selections previously recorded live in South Africa.

The event was one of the largest dinners in the Clinton White House, officials said. The receiving line lasted more than an hour. Even the president clapped when it ended.

The indoor setting defied the dreary tug of war between spring and summer that left Washington with cool temperatures and an incessant drizzle.

Inside the heavily draped pavilion, the tables burst with color of their own with centerpieceof blush, pink and burgundy peonies surrounded by assorted crystal votive candles.

Outdoors, everything from the blossoming dogwood trees to the outdoor fountain was adorned with white lights.

So guests wouldn't face the risk of raindrops, trolleys were brought in to ferry them.

Earlier in the day, Mbeki presented Mr. Clinton, an avid coin collector, with a set of four 24-karat coins produced by the South African Mint. The president gave Mbeki a specially designed Tiffany sterling silver cache pot with an engraved inscription.