[01:02.96]In comments on board Air Force One, Mr Obama said the last thing he wanted was to be in any way obtrusive.
[01:09.55]James Copnall reports.
[01:10.75]Barack Obama will meet his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma and is expected to make a major speech during his stay here.
[01:17.90]But there is no doubt his visit will be overshadowed by Nelson Mandela.
[01:21.45]The global icon is still critically ill in hospital.
[01:24.95]Mr Obama has already said he is not looking for a photo op or to get in the way of Mr Mandela's family.
[01:30.57]Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Mr Mandela's ex-wife, said she felt it would not be right for Mr Obama to visit the hospital given Mr Mandela's condition.
[01:39.48]European Union leaders have agreed to open membership talks with Serbia by January in recognition of its efforts to improve relations with its former province of Kosovo.
[01:49.36]The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, described the decision as historic.
[01:54.83]Chris Morris reports.
[01:56.00]For much of the 1990s many countries in Europe regarded Serbia as a prior state, the driving force behind the wars that tore the Balkans apart.
[02:05.41]But now Serbia is taking a decisive step towards eventual membership of the European Union.
[02:11.59]The decision to begin accession talks by January is a reward for Serbia's efforts to improve relations with Kosovo,