'Mandela' to grace Parliament Square

London: A statue of Nelson Mandela is to stand in front of Britain's Houses of Parliament after local authorities ended years of wrangling over where it should go.

Westminster Council's planning committee on Thursday approved a plan to erect a statue of the former South African president in Parliament Square, home to statues of British luminaries including wartime leader Winston Churchill.

The council said the 2.75-metre bronze sculpture would be displayed in the central garden of Parliament Square, facing Parliament. London Mayor Ken Livingstone had campaigned for the sculpture, designed by Ian Walters, to be placed in nearby Trafalgar Square, where a constant vigil was held for Mandela's release from prison during the years of apartheid rule in South Africa.

Mandela has spoken to crowds in the square since his release from prison in 1990. Westminster council rejected Livingstone's proposal in 2005.