Mandela asked to act on Iraq Former President Nelson Mandela has been asked by "distinguished people" to persuade Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down to ease the standoff with the US. Among those who requested that Mandela talk Saddam into an "exit plan" are leaders of Arab states bordering Iraq who are worried about the effects of the imminent war. Mandela says he will travel to Baghdad to carry out the mission only if asked by the United Nations. Mandela's spokesman, Zelda la Grange, said the former president, who is at the forefront of the anti-war lobby, "has...
