Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Former President Carter Starts Mideast Peace Tour VOA News 15 October 2010 Former President Jimmy Carter speaks at a ceremony to sign an agreement with the OPEC Fund for International Development worth $1 million to fund the Carter Center's programs to eliminate Guinea worm and river blindness diseases, 12 Oct 2010, in Atlanta, Photo: AP Former President Jimmy Carter, 12 Oct 2010 Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter begins a tour of the Middle East Saturday in an effort to build support for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Mr. Carter will start his trip in Cairo and travel on to Syria, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. He will be part of a delegation that calls itself [1]"The Elders." The group was founded by former South African President Nelson Mandela to impact world affairs.  The Mideast delegation is being led by former Irish President Mary Robinson. U.S. brokered direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stalled last month after an Israeli ban on new settlement construction in the West Bank expired. Palestinians oppose new construction on land they want for a future state. A statement released by "The Elders" says the group will encourage regional support for final status negotiations. Mr. Carter is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient who helped broker the 1979 Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt. Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters. References 1. http://www.theelders.org/middle-east .