Dear friends, It has been a busy few weeks for The Elders. Following four months of terrible violence in Côte d'Ivoire and the eventual removal of former President Laurent Gbagbo from office, Mary Robinson, Archbishop Tutu and I travelled there at the end of April to encourage healing and reconciliation and to begin a dialogue on accountability. |
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Reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire
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 Mary Robinson with women’s representatives |
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| We met the new President, Alassane Ouattara and were encouraged by his government’s plans to establish a truth and reconciliation commission, although we urged him not to rush the process. We met Mr Gbagbo, who had not been seen in public since his arrest on 11 April. He told us that he was being treated well and urged the new leadership to return the country to normality as a path to national reconciliation. We also met representatives of women’s groups and civil society organisations. |
Many supporters of the former president we spoke to were afraid of potential reprisals but they also told us that they believe their country can recover. I sincerely hope the new leadership will fulfill its duty to restore security and help the people rediscover their common ground. You can see photos from our visit here. |
The Korean Peninsula: hunger and human rights
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In April, four of my fellow Elders visited North Korea, South Korea and Beijing. Jimmy Carter led the delegation, accompanied by Martti Ahtisaari, Gro Brundtland and Mary Robinson. With relations between North and South Korea at rock-bottom, the group hoped to encourage all parties involved to resume dialogue. This short video about the Elders’ visit includes the moment when they received a last-minute message from North Korean leader Kim Jong Il – and I encourage you to read Jimmy Carter’s blog from Pyongyang. |
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 Gro Brundtland and Jimmy Carter
visit a nursing school in North Korea |
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The delegation also discussed reports of serious food shortages with officials and aid agencies in North Korea. Chris Ward from France raised an important question about this when he emailed us to ask: “By offering to feed the people, are you not prolonging the agony of a country in desperate need of change?” We agree that serious reforms are needed if North Korea is to avoid these food crises in future. However, we do not believe it is right to withhold essential humanitarian support from people facing acute hunger because we don’t like their government or agree with its policies.
As Mary Robinson wrote in her blog about human rights in North Korea, “Food is a basic human right and the suffering of the population must be decoupled from politics.” |
Hamas-Fatah agreement: a real chance for peace
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| We were glad to learn that Hamas and Fatah, the two major Palestinian factions, have signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo. My fellow Elders Lakhdar Brahimi, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu and I discussed this last week – you can watch the video here. I know that some people doubt whether Hamas can be a constructive partner in peace negotiations with Israel. |
However, as Elders we believe that talking to all parties is the only way to move beyond entrenched positions and ensure everyone has a stake in the peace process. This has to be the foundation of a secure and lasting peace. This new agreement allows the Palestinian people to be represented by a unified voice – at a time when across the Middle East, the voice of the people is emerging as a real factor in political affairs. Peace needs your voice too. As I mention in the video, if leaders do not lead, the people can make them follow. |
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With best wishes,
Kofi Annan 
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