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| Icon feted: Former South African President Nelson Mandela celebrated his 89th birthday with fellow leaders Wednesday. Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters |
Global 'elders' launch new alliance
Nelson Mandela, Jimmy Carter, and others formed a group to articulate new approaches to global issues.
from the July 19, 2007 edition
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Now free from the constraints of office
"There were problems [in the past] that we [as leaders] did not solve because of a lack of time, or because of very intense pressures from our own constituencies, or because we were too bogged down with multiple, simultaneous questions to answer," says Carter. "But the elders ... have complete freedom to escape from the restrains of political niceties and be able to do as Nelson Mandela pointed out – we can talk to anyone and become involved in any issue."
The elders declined to elaborate on which issues they would first address. But, at a press conference following the announcement, Ms. Robinson hinted that they might focus on human rights.
"We are coming up to the 60th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights," she said, adding that they might want to play a role in "reframing the agenda of human rights."
"The principle of universal human rights has become very politicized. There are double standards and people feel alienated," she explained. "The elders can make it a living document … that we can certainly do."
The idea to put together such a group came about before the Iraq war, said Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Branson in interviews with the Monitor.
"We were chewing the fat, as we do quite regularly, and Richard had Madiba [Mandela] coming to the house," recalled Gabriel. "That was the first time that it was mentioned to him."
"I had seen Mandela had spoken out vehemently against the [Iraq] war and I contacted him to see if he would go to Iraq and try and get Saddam Hussein to go live in Libya," says Branson.
Mandela was willing, but two weeks later, before he was able to begin such a mission, the war had already begun. "An elder or a group of elders could have persuaded Hussein to leave and we would have avoided the war," says Branson.
The elders, said Robinson, had already begun working and the group would meet "as often as was necessary."
Prodded by Branson, Gabriel closed off the ceremony by singing his old hit song "Biko" about Stephen Biko, an anti-apartheid activist who died in police custody in 1977. Tears flowed as the audience hummed to the music.
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