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Last update - 05:07 08/03/2008
Carter, Annan to lead peace delegation to Middle East next month
By The Associated Press
Tags: Israel, Jimmy Carter 

A council of world leaders launched by former President Nelson Mandela is sending a three-person team to try to help ease tensions in the Middle East, the organization known as The Elders said Friday.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Irish President Mary Robinson will visit Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia April 13-21.

"I have just completed an intense and grueling negotiation in Kenya and learned that conflict is easier than peace, but persistence makes peace possible," said Annan, who added that in his former position he was acutely sensitive to the centrality of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis in the mind of many in the Middle East.
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Launched last year to celebrate Mandela's 89th birthday, the group of 12 world leaders is dedicated to fostering peace and resolving global crises. They will meet with figures inside and outside government and prepare a report to help people understand the urgency of peace and what is needed to secure it.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who chairs the group, appealed to Israelis and Palestinians to stop the cycle of violence. Tutu said in a separate statement issued by his office that he condemned unequivocally the "dastardly attack on eight Israeli students at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem."

He also equally vehemently condemned the deaths of civilians in the recent surge in fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza.

"Peace will not come from the barrel of a gun, as we learned in South Africa," he said. "Peace will only come when the inexorable cycle of reprisal provoking counter reprisal, ad nauseam ends. When the inalienable rights of all, Israeli and Palestinian, are recognized and respected."

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      1.   Annan, Mandela, Carter Peace Mission 20:23  |  Ken Shostack 07/03/08
      2.   ignore this bunch of fools, elders huh fools is more like it 20:31  |  ralph 07/03/08
      3.   ignore this bunch of fools, elders huh fools is more like it 20:31  |  ralph 07/03/08
      4.   Carter again! Spare us! 20:37  |  Stephen 07/03/08
      5.   My response:cautious optimism,how come this group,respectable 20:40  |  lakshmi 07/03/08
      6.   Looks like these guys haven`t heard of Jihadist Islam... 20:41  |  G.Marcus 07/03/08
      7.   Jimmy Carter & Co of Hypocrites 20:42  |  Torontonian 07/03/08
      8.   # 2 ralph 20:52  |  Rachael 07/03/08
      9.   Israel: Don`t give these idiots in the country 20:54  |  Shep Fargotstein 07/03/08
      10.   To The Angry and Nasty Ones on This Forum 21:13  |  Brian Freund 07/03/08
      11.   The Delegation 21:15  |  Arie Arazi 07/03/08
      12.   Oh, thank heavens! 21:17  |  Michael O. 07/03/08
      13.   Oh . . NOW there`ll be peace!!! 21:21  |  Harry 07/03/08
      14.   collection of fools 21:24  |  ze`ev 07/03/08
      15.   To Rachael----Right On The Money--Thank You! 21:26  |  Brian Freund 07/03/08
      16.   Yariv 21:28  |  These fools 07/03/08
      17.   Israel should ignore this group 21:29  |  Gili 07/03/08
      18.   This is about their egos, not about peace 21:31  |  07/03/08
      19.   rachael your response showed how ignorant of history, naive and f 21:32  |  ralph 07/03/08
      20.   rachael lets see carter said the ayatola was a man of peace he wa 21:35  |  ralph 07/03/08
      21.   rachael lets see carter said the ayatola was a man of peace he wa 21:35  |  ralph 07/03/08
      22.   The three amigo`s 21:35  |  ..Marc 07/03/08
      23.   They will expose the apartheid ideology of zionism 21:43  |  Shulamit 07/03/08
      24.   the wise men of chelm 21:44  |  davic 07/03/08
      25.   Carter, Annan to lead peace delegation to M.E. next month 21:47  |  martin list, m.d. 07/03/08
      26.   Why dont they just add Farrakhan, Ahmadinejad, and David Duke 21:49  |  James 07/03/08
      27.   The 3 Musketeers of Objectivity 21:51  |  Michael O. 07/03/08
      28.   Carter +Antisemit 21:52  |  Johnathan Levi 07/03/08
      29.   Keystone Cops 21:54  |  Stephen 07/03/08
      30.   the carter circus is in town 21:55  |  greg 07/03/08
      31.   Hey Desmond, NOT A CYCLE OF VIOLENCE 21:57  |  B`Galil 07/03/08
      32.   you are right shulamit because carter has been paid off by the ar 21:58  |  ralph 07/03/08
      33.   to #8 Rachael - I know you mean well but... 22:02  |  B`Galil 07/03/08
      34.   Great, a bunch of guys who hate Israel 22:02  |  McQueen 07/03/08
      35.   The ELDERS!!!! Funny! 22:07  |  Mike 07/03/08
      36.   Peace is enemy of Israel , US and the Jews 22:18  |  El-Birawi 07/03/08
      37.   mission of Israel haters 22:20  |  Steven 07/03/08
      38.   Cautious optimism 22:29  |  John 07/03/08
      39.   Peace delegation 22:32  |  jeff 07/03/08
      40.   Carter?!! 22:33  |  George 07/03/08
      41.   this delegation 22:34  |  english jew 07/03/08
      42.   All Jew haters may now board the aircraft. 22:34  |  Gideon Reader 07/03/08
      43.   K A R C kofi Ana , robinson &, Carter 22:37  |  April 07/03/08
      44.   The three Stooges 22:45  |  BRL 07/03/08
      45.   Put them in a hotel in Sderot 22:49  |  Bob 07/03/08
      46.   The Three Musketeers 22:49  |  ka 07/03/08
      47.   Carter, Annan & Robinson 23:07  |  Mort 07/03/08
      48.   "Apartheid" Carter, "Durban" Robinson, and "UN" Annan: seriously? 23:08  |  Serge 07/03/08
      49.   This is simply a trap. 23:11  |  Stephen in New York 07/03/08
      50.   Professional meddlers... 23:15  |  Blogowitz 07/03/08
      51.   is this a joke ? 23:19  |  Avi 07/03/08
      52.   Annan, Mandela, Carter and the right-wing allergy is there..... 23:24  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/03/08
      53.   The Annan/Carter mission 23:25  |  graczek 07/03/08
      54.   #8 Rachael 23:35  |  Jane 07/03/08
      55.   Let them do some good. Provide them accomodations in Sderot 23:40  |  Jacob Blues 07/03/08
      56.   IS HE WRITING NEW BOOK 23:42  |  TOBIA 07/03/08
      57.   You`re right Lakshmi, why now? 23:43  |  Jacob Blues 07/03/08
      58.   Phony peace mission 23:52  |  Richard Wenig 07/03/08
      59.   So called peace mission of three ex-something 00:01  |  James Devon 08/03/08
      60.   What an insult!! What arrogance!! 00:05  |  Ben 08/03/08
      61.   Carter et al should go to Gaza and the West Bank 00:07  |  Roberta 08/03/08
      62.   Oy Vey...... 00:07  |  Hanan 08/03/08
      63.   cautious optimism,how come this group,respectable etc... 00:09  |  Brentwood 08/03/08
      64.   Peace Mission 00:15  |  Louis Fried 08/03/08
      65.   19 graczek,there are 3 solutions: 00:32  |  lakshmi 08/03/08
      66.   James # 15 00:38  |  Stephen 08/03/08
      67.   #18 Swiss (Dino) - I doubt these 3 will be perceived as honest 00:40  |  Tom 08/03/08
      68.   graczek please 00:44  |  Tom 08/03/08
      69.   #21 Perfect! Give a hotel room in downtown Sderot to work in! 00:46  |  Tom 08/03/08
      70.   Delagation to Israel/Cater and Company 00:59  |  Maurice Zaslawsky 08/03/08
      71.   What did you say? 01:32  |  mike cato 08/03/08
      72.   Carter, Annan delegation to bring peace 01:32  |  Marvin Diamond 08/03/08
      73.