Clintons to attend Mandela memorials

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to South Africa to participate in memorial events honoring Nelson Mandela, sources close to the couple say.

{mosads}Separately, ABC News is reporting that former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, will join the Obamas aboard Air Force One for the trip to South Africa.

Bush’s father, former President George H.W. Bush, was also invited to join the Obamas but declined. The elder Bush was hospitalized earlier this year after fighting severe bronchitis-like symptoms and has limited his public appearances since then.

The White House announced earlier Friday that the Obamas would make the trip, but press secretary Jay Carney told reporters that details had not been finalized.

“We hope to have it fairly quickly, and when we do, we’ll be able to provide it to you,” Carney said.

Pressed specifically on whether former presidents would be invited to accompany Obama aboard the presidential plane, Carney said he did not want to get ahead of logistical planning for the trip.

“All I can say at this point is that President Obama and the first lady will go to South Africa next week to pay their respects to the memory of Nelson Mandela and to participate in memorial events,” Carney said.

South African President Jacob Zuma announced earlier in the day that Mandela would be buried on Dec. 15, following 10 days of national mourning at his ancestral home in the Eastern Cape.

There will also be a Dec. 10 memorial service for the anti-apartheid leader at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium, the site of the 2010 World Cup final.

“We will spend the week mourning his passing. We will also spend it celebrating a life well lived,” Zuma said.