Elders to return to Cyprus

THREE MEMBERS of The Elders plan to visit Cyprus late next week.

The delegation, to be led by Elders chairman Desmond Tutu of South Africa, will also include former UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Brundtland.

Before travelling to Cyprus, the three Elders will visit Ankara (September 8) and Athens (September 9) to discuss issues related to the peace process with senior political leaders.

Their visit will coincide with the passing of the one-year anniversary since since talks to reunify the island began between President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

A news release issued by The Elders group said: “The Elders are not seeking to intervene in the political negotiations between the two leaders in any way.

“The focus of their visit will be to lend support to those who are working for a lasting settlement, with special emphasis on listening to the views of women about the future of the island.”

Former US President Jimmy Carter, who visited Cyprus in October 2008 with Tutu and Brahimi, will not be joining his fellow Elders on next week’s visit due to prior commitments, the news release said.

Details of the Elders’ itinerary were not yesterday available.

The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.

The Elders are Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu (Chair) and Muhammad Yunus. Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi are honorary Elders.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.