Mandela Willing to Compromise on Black Rule

The African National Congress is willing to compromise with the government on details of a post-apartheid political system as long as the principle of black rights is ensured, Nelson R. Mandela said today.

The 71-year-old black leader, giving his first interviews since his release Sunday after 27 years in prison, was asked if the ANC was willing to ease its demand for a one-person, one-vote system that would lead to black majority rule.

“Compromises must be made in respect to every issue, as long as that compromise is in the interest not only of one population group but the country as a whole,” Mandela told reporters outside his home.

The ANC repeatedly has rejected any system falling short of one-person, one-vote. Mandela has stressed since his release that his movement would like to address white fears of black domination, although he opposes the government’s concept of “group rights” that would give special legal protection to whites.