Clinton meets Mandela, looks through his archives

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Secretary of State Hillary Clinton got a private viewing on Friday of former South African president Nelson Mandela's archives, saying afterward it was a "treasure trove" of lessons for future generations.

On a two-day trip to South Africa, Clinton had a 30-minute private meeting with the Nobel prize laureate at his foundation in Johannesburg and then toured its archives.

Clinton praised Mandela, 91, for his careful record-keeping and said his life was an inspiration to others.

"To be there and to see the pictures of him as a young man and to know so much about his life, it of course inspires in me not only an even greater admiration for his public work, but an even greater affection for the man," Clinton told journalists.

Mandela was held in prison for 27 years by the apartheid government before his release in 1990. He became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994.

"This was such a challenge that he bore and bore with such grace. And as he has often said, he kept improving on himself, which I think is a lesson for us all," Clinton said.

"The discipline that he brought to a life filled with so many great achievements, not only for him personally but for South Africa and the world," she added."

Clinton, who is on a seven-nation trip to Africa, has met Mandela on several occasions. Mandela's foundation consulted the top U.S. diplomat's husband, former President Bill Clinton's, own library for advice on how to set up the archives.

(Reporting by Sue Pleming; Editing by Jon Hemming)