The former South African president Thabo Mbeki has offered to negotiate with disgraced Illinois governer Rod Blagojevich, expressing hope that his "unique skills as a mediator" can resolve the impasse. Presenting a series of proposed solutions, Mr Mbeki said that it was important to stress compromise and harmony and not knee-jerk reactions that could de-stabilise Illinois.
Speaking at a press conference in Chicago, Mr Mbeki presented three possible options to resolve the crisis: 1. For Rod Blagojevich to step down and be appointed Barack Obama's Vice President. 2. For Barack Obama to be appointed "honorary Prime Minister" serving under Rod Blagojevich. 3. For the Illinois governor to appoint himself as the junior Senator from Illinois, and for Barack Obama to become the governor.
The suggestions were dismissed as "absurd and foolish" by a member of the President-elect's transition team. Barack Obama has joined the growing chorus of politicians calling for the Illinois governor to step down after he was caught trying to sell Obama's vacated senate seat. Prosecutors have stressed that the President-elect is in no way implicated in the scandal.
