Two UN secretaries-general, the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, two French presidents, four United States presidents, and four UK prime ministers attended the funeral service. In total, more than 500 VIP dignitaries from 19 supranational organizations and approximately 190 countries had arrived for this event. Some of the dignitaries later attended the burial ceremony on 15 December 2013 at Mandela's hometown, Qunu.
Czech Republic: Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok, who did not attend, was caught on Czech television saying that he was "dreading" the funeral, swearing and complaining that lunch and dinner engagements would be interrupted by a trip to South Africa. Rusnok later apologized for his remarks, saying it was "not correct to use such terms" in connection to Mandela's death and funeral.[20]
Egypt: Egypt sent a delegation headed by Mohammed Faiq, head of the National Council for Human Rights, who attended several international human rights conferences and forums along with Mandela. There was speculation that Egypt did not want to embarrass its' interim government by sending a higher representative the memorial, as South Africa had criticized the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.[20]
Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel was criticized in German media for not attending the memorial service, with one journalist saying it showed "a lack of empathy, a lack of humility and a lack of friendliness".[31] Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who frequently attended funerals of world leaders during his term of office, did not attend. Germany's former leaders did not usually attend world leaders' funerals.
Iran: Initial reports said President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif might attend the memorial service. Later reports said the two changed their plans to avoid meeting US President Barack Obama.[20] Zarif was also said to have missed the service due to the visit of his Russian counterpart in Tehran.[32]
Israel: President Shimon Peres said he would not attend the memorial service for medical reasons.[20] Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended the memorial service, citing financial and security reasons.[33]
Sudan: A spokesperson for the Sudanese embassy in South Africa confirmed President Omar al-Bashir would not attend the memorial service, in order to avoid complications from his indictment by the International Criminal Court.[20]
Republic of China (Taiwan): The ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to not send a delegation because of the time constraint. Instead, Foreign Minister David Lin personally visited the Liaison Office of South Africa to convey condolences over the death of Mandela. In addition, the Representative of the ROC to South Africa visited the Union Buildings in Pretoria to view the remains of Mandela and pay respects on behalf of the ROC government.[34]
Tibet: The 14th Dalai Lama was expected to attend the service but was denied a visa by the South African government.[35]
The Vatican: Pope Francis was sent an invitation to attend either the memorial or state funeral.[35] He did not attend either because it was against the tradition that Popes do not usually attend funerals of world leaders.
Vietnam: President Trương Tấn Sang did not attend the service due to the time constraint. The country was represented by Đào Việt Trung, Chairman of the Presidential Office.
References
↑ Charlene was a native citizen of South Africa before her marriage to Prince Albert II.
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