Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat quickly condemned the attack, saying it is an attempt to damage opportunities for peace just before the Palestinians and the Israelis each hold elections.
According to Mr Gevisser, Mr Mbeki's vision of an African renaissance is an attempt to overcome the damage done by this sense of disconnection and to resurrect his continent's feeling of pride and identity.
The Vatican has since said the Pope was not aware of the bishop's views at the time, and the Pope later strongly condemned holocaust denial in an attempt to curb the damage caused by the row.
The suit by DOL against Mr. Bierwirth and other trustees of the Grumman Corporation Pension Plan was collateral damage from the fight to fend off a take-over attempt by conglomerate LTV.
The government in Khartoum has also sought to repair the damage done to relations with Egypt by a Sudanese-sponsored assassination attempt on President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia in 1995.