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U.S. President Barack Obama embarked on a three-day trip on Monday (December 9) with former President George W. Bush, leading a U.S. contingent to attend a memorial service in South Africa for the late Nelson Mandela.
On board Air Force One for a flight estimated at 16 hours were Obama and his wife, Michelle; Bush and his wife, Laura; and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Flying separately to Johannesburg were former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
The only surviving former president not traveling was Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, who is 89 and had a health scare year ago.
The rare gathering of American presidents is a sign of the respect Mandela - who died on Thursday (December 5) at age 95 - has held among both political parties in the United States.
They will join more than 70 leaders from around the world for a ceremony at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium.
