Jimmy Carter in Beijing for N. Korea visit

[cal04]

Source: AFP

A group of former statesmen led by ex-US president Jimmy Carter on Sunday said they were in Beijing on the way to North Korea in a visit aimed at easing tension on the Korean Peninsula.

A delegation of the Elders group of retired state leaders began the six-day trip to China, Pyongyang and Seoul to discuss issues including denuclearisation and reported food shortages in North Korea, the group said in a statement.

The four-member group, led by Carter, includes former Finish president Martti Ahtisaari, ex-Norwegian prime minister Harlem Brundtland and former Irish president Mary Robinson, it said.

(snip)
"At a time when official dialogue with DPRK (North Korea) appears to be at a standstill, we aim to see how we may be of assistance in reducing tensions and help the parties address key issues including denuclearisation," the statement quoted Carter as saying.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110424/pl_afp/skoreankoreachinausdiplomacy_20110424112037

[FLPanhandle]

1. I'm glad to see Carter being used for diplomacy

I've always felt he was one of our greatest and most respected statesmen internationally.

It was a crime that previous Presidents didn't use him more often.

(of course I'm biased as I think he was one of our most honest and forward thinking presidents)

[ronnie624]

4. I'm all for diplomacy,

but I'm not about to forget under whose administration the CIA launched its most extensive covert operation.

The thread of U.S. imperialism runs through every administration.

[Scuba]

2. Jimmy stands apart from the other yea-hooos....

http://imgur.com/sTBYW>

[Heywood J]

3. Who let Bush I, Bush II and Clinton back in?

It'll take weeks to get the stench out.

[izquierdista]

5. Shouldn't he be in Pyongyang?

I hate to nitpick with the AFP editor, but if Carter wants to visit N. Korea, he's not going to be able to do it in Beijing. Unless they have some sort of Epcot center there with a replica of Kim Il Sung's monument and the Juche tower.