Upon arriving in Cairo, the three Elders made a first stop at Al Azhar, the principal centre of Sunni Islamic learning. They spent time with Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb (pictured here) and several intellectuals and leaders of other religious denominations, who together make up the ‘Egyptian Family Home’ interfaith group.
The Elders welcomed the group’s moderate, inclusive influence on Egyptian society. As President Carter noted: “These are not political leaders, but they speak with great authority for freedom, for equality under the law and before God.”

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter and Mary Robinson visited the Foreign Ministry to meet representatives of the Human Rights Council and of the Constituent Assembly, which is tasked with writing Egypt’s new constitution.
They were encouraged to hear how the constitution-drafting process is progressing, noting how quickly the transition is taking place. As Jimmy Carter later remarked to journalists: “The United States declared our independence in 1776, and it was only 12 years later that we finally got our constitution approved.”

At a press conference on the first day of their visit, the Elders congratulated the people of Egypt on the progress of their political transition since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak last year.
They emphasised the importance of including all voices in the drafting of Egypt’s new constitution and encouraged all Egyptians to embrace the spirited debate taking place about their country’s future.
Jimmy Carter: “We understand the frustrations of those who may feel that change is coming too slowly. But change takes time. Egypt now has a democratically elected President and the military’s role has changed in a way that would have been difficult to imagine only a year ago... Change on this scale never happens overnight but the momentum of the past 20 months is a great source of hope and encouragement to us all.”