Carter, Annan to Lead Peace Delegation to Middle East

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Carter, Annan to lead peace delegation to Middle East next month

The Associated Press

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.

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 the 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."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/961968.html

[simple_male 1]

Carter, Annan to lead peace delegation to Middle East next month

The Associated Press

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.

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 the 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."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/961968.html

A good move! Hope they become successful in their noble mission to end the bloodshed.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Indeed, hope they are successful. Too many innocents have perished

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

they'll fail, showing the world that not even they can fix the problem.

[Peikko 1,575]

People used to say that the Northern Irish problem had no solution. Oh ye of little faith.

[simple_male 1]

People used to say that the Northern Irish problem had no solution. Oh ye of little faith.

Exactly.

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

People used to say that the Northern Irish problem had no solution. Oh ye of little faith.

i'm sure the irish are more malleable

[Peikko 1,575]

Are you really that ignorant or can you simply not resist an opportunity to make a 'swipe' at P_H?

[Ban Hammer 13,346]

Are you really that ignorant or can you simply not resist an opportunity to make a 'swipe' at P_H?

it's not taking a swipe at you. now are you really such a #### as to think everything is all about you?

[Peikko 1,575]

Are you really allowed to call me that kind of a name? Amazing.

However, back to intractable seeming conflicts there are many people who can and do see the correlation between the Northern Irish and South African conflicts and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and that there has been a settlement in two lends hope that there can be a settlement in the third. Added to that the will of such eminant ambassadors it seems at least possible to view a glimmer of hope from such an delegation and to simply say the'll fail seems to me exessively glib.

Edited March 7, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus

[simple_male 1]

Are you really allowed to call me that kind of a name? Amazing.

However, back to intractable seeming conflicts there are many people who can and do see the correlation between the Northern Irish, the South African conflict and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and that there is a settlement in two lends hope that there can be a settlement in the third. Added to that the will of such eminant ambassadors it seems at least possible to view a glimmer of hope from such an delegation and to just say the'll fail seems to me exessively glib.

We have to have hope and wish them success.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

However, back to intractable seeming conflicts there are many people who can and do see the correlation between the Northern Irish and South African conflicts and the Palestinian/Israeli conflict and that there has been a settlement in two lends hope that there can be a settlement in the third. Added to that the will of such eminant ambassadors it seems at least possible to view a glimmer of hope from such an delegation and to simply say the'll fail seems to me exessively glib.

Wise words, P_H. All of them.

[mawilson 2,133]

Wow, simple_male, all your favorite characters in one place.

[Peikko 1,575]

Incidentally, would you care to expand how the Irish are more 'malleable' as you have clearly stated that wasn't a dig but a well thought out and intelligent comment on the topic at hand.

[Peikko 1,575]

Wow, simple_male, all your favorite characters in one place.

I realise this was a flip comment, but we are not one person posting under a host of different pseudomyms...or are we?