Anura notes Jimmy Carter’s unwavering commitment to peace

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake noted the unwavering commitment of former US President Jimmy Carter to peace and human rights.

The Sri Lankan President extended his deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who passed away aged 100.

“I extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. His extraordinary life was marked by an unwavering commitment to peace, human rights and humanitarian affairs in recognition of which he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. May his legacy live on as a beacon of hope to build a better world for all,” he said.

Carter, who brokered peace between Israel and Egypt and later received the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work, died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday.

Carter, a Democrat, became president in January 1977 after defeating incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. His one-term presidency was marked by the highs of the 1978 Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt, bringing some stability to the Middle East.

But it was also dogged by an economic recession, persistent unpopularity and the Iran hostage crisis that consumed his final 444 days in office. Carter ran for re-election in 1980 but was swept from office in a landslide as voters embraced Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, the former actor and California governor.

Carter lived longer than any U.S. president and, after leaving the White House, earned a reputation as a committed humanitarian. He was widely seen as a better former president than he was a president ? a status he readily acknowledged. (Colombo Gazette)