South Africa peace conference delayed

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, March 24 (UPI) -- A South African peace conference has been delayed after the government refused to grant a visa for the Dalai Lama to attend, officials said Tuesday.

The conference, which had been set for this week, was meant to highlight South Africa's achievements in human rights ahead of the 2010 World Cup, which the country is hosting. The South African Football League, which organized the event, sent invitations to such Nobel Peace Prize laureates the Dalai Lama, former South African President Nelson Mandala and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, as well as to the world's top soccer officials, CNN reported.

But after the Tibetan spiritual leader was denied a visa Monday, a decision was made to delay the conference, football league Chairman Irvin Khosa told reporters in Johannesburg, without detailing why the decision was made.

Thabo Masebe, a spokesman for South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, told CNN the Dalai Lama was barred from the conference because Mbeki didn't want to the focus of the event to shift from South Africa to the conflict between the Tibetan leader and China.

Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, told the U.S. broadcaster the conference's delay marked a sad day for South African democracy.