Lee Michael Katz
Former US president Jimmy Carter is offering to act as a mediator to Burma in response to the military regime's recent crackdown on protesters.
"If the leaders of Myanmar would accept my presence, I'd be delighted" to serve as an envoy, he told Guardian America. Mr Carter has been known for his decades of involvement in international political and humanitarian crisis since leaving office.
But Mr Carter, who was president when America boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics, rejects the notion of boycotting the 2008 Beijing Olympics over the issue.
There have been suggestions of a boycott if China does not put pressure on Burma to end repression of pro-democracy movements and on the Sudanese government to end the crisis in Darfur. "I don't think it's a good idea at all," he said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2198630,00.htmlA conversation with Carter
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2198588,00.html