Michelle Obama meets with Nelson Mandela

Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG

A healthy-looking Nelson Mandela met with Michelle Obama and her daughters Tuesday, an unexpected encounter between the first lady and the former South African president and anti-apartheid icon who largely has retired from public life.

A photo provided by the Nelson Mandela Foundation showed the 92-year-old Mandela sitting on a couch next to Mrs. Obama, pen in hand to sign an advance copy of his new book, “Nelson Mandela By Himself: The Authorized Quotations Book.” Mandela was wearing one of his trademark shirts, richly patterned and buttoned at the neck.

Mrs. Obama, daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10, and her mother, Marian Robinson, were viewing some of Mandela’s personal papers at his foundation when he sent word that he wanted to meet them at his home in a leafy Johannesburg neighborhood. It was the first meeting between America’s first black first lady and the political prisoner who later became his country’s first black president

Mrs. Obama’s family spent about 20 minutes with Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, who is a former first lady of Mozambique.

Mrs. Obama’s niece and nephew, Leslie Robinson, 15, and Avery Robinson, 19, who are traveling with her, also were invited to meet Mandela.

White House officials had no immediate comment on the meeting. No aides were present for the meeting, except for one photographer each from the foundation and the White House who were allowed in to take photos at the beginning.

Mandela, who stepped down in 1999 after serving one term as president, rarely is seen in public anymore. At age 92, he is in fragile health and was hospitalized briefly in January with an acute respiratory infection.

His condition has been improving steadily, and he apparently felt well enough Tuesday to invite the Obama family to visit.