OBAMA, Says He Bears Message of ‘Profound Gratitude’ to Mandela

President Obama said Friday that he was bearing a message of “profound gratitude” to Nelson Mandela, the stricken former leader of South Africa, and that he would defer to Mr. Mandela’s family on whether to visit him.

Mr. Obama made the remarks aboard Air Force One as he headed to South Africa, where concerns over Mr. Mandela’s health were deepening despite official government assurances that his condition from a serious lung infection had stabilized.

Mr. Obama’s plane left for the almost eight-hour flight to Johannesburg from Dakar, Senegal, where Mr. Obama met with African farmers and entrepreneurs seeking enhanced food security through new agricultural practices and technology. 

Speaking to reporters traveling with him, Mr. Obama said he had no further information on the health of Mr. Mandela, the 94-year-old icon of the successful anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. Mr. Obama said that any possibility of a visit by himself, the first lady, Michelle Obama, and their two daughters would rest with the family of Mr. Mandela, who has been hospitalized since June 8. 

“I don’t need a photo-op, and the last thing I want to do is to be in any way obtrusive at a time when the family is concerned about Nelson Mandela’s condition,” Mr. Obama said, according to a transcript of his remarks released by the White House. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet with him, Michelle and the girls had an opportunity to meet with him. Right now, our main concern is with his well-being, his comfort, and with the family’s well-being and comfort.” 

Mr. Obama said the main message he intended to deliver to Mr. Mandela, “if not directly to him but to his family, is simply our profound gratitude for his leadership all these years and that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him, and his family, and his country.”