US prepares state honors for late president Jimmy Carter – World News

WASHINGTON

Flags flew at half-staff across the United States on Monday as global tributes poured in for the life and legacy of Jimmy Carter — the longest-lived U.S. president, who died aged 100.

The Georgia native, whose unlikely political ascent carried him from picking peanuts on the family farm to the Oval Office, was remembered in glowing eulogies as an ardent defender of human rights and champion of the downtrodden.

He will be honored with public observances in his southern home state and in Washington in the coming days.

The first president to reach triple digits, Carter had been in hospice care in his home town of Plains since February 2023.

The Carter Center, his post-presidential humanitarian and pro-democracy organization, announced Sunday he had died “peacefully” at home “surrounded by his family.”

The White House flag was lowered to half-staff, while President Joe Biden has scheduled a state funeral for January 9 and declared it a National Day of Mourning.

In Georgia on Saturday, Carter will be conveyed by motorcade through Plains to the farm where he grew up and then on to the state capitol in Atlanta, the military said in a statement.

He will lie in repose at the Carter Center, the organization said, before being flown January 7 to Washington to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol with a military guard.

Two days later, he will be buried in Plains after the traditional televised funeral at Washington National Cathedral, accorded to every U.S. president.

Biden said in a heartfelt speech Sunday that Carter had “lived a life measured not by words, but by his deeds,” while the country’s living former presidents — from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump — lauded his public service, work ethic and commitment to justice.

The New York Stock Exchange — which just suffered its longest losing streak since Carter was in the White House — held a minute’s silence.

International tributes were led by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, China’s President Xi Jinping and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who praised Carter as “a symbol of humanitarian efforts.”

Pope Francis offered “heartfelt condolences,” the Vatican said, recalling Carter’s “firm commitment, motivated by deep Christian faith, to the cause of reconciliation and peace.”

Carter voted for the last time in November’s presidential election, casting his ballot by mail, according to his family, after voicing determination to “live to vote for Kamala Harris,” the Democratic vice president who was ultimately defeated by Trump.

He was the oldest ever former U.S. president, outliving writers who contributed to his obituaries at The New York Times and Washington Post by seven years and 10 years respectively.

His longevity had seemed unlikely when the Southern Democrat revealed in 2015 that he had brain cancer.

The U.S. Navy veteran defied the odds to enjoy a long post-presidency, after four years in the Oval Office notable for his success in forging peace between Israel and Egypt, but overshadowed by the Iran hostage affair and his handling of an oil crisis.

The father of four lost in a landslide to Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Yet in the decades that followed, Carter’s reputation grew through his humanitarian and diplomatic work and his efforts to build homes with his wife Rosalynn as part of Habitat for Humanity.

Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”

President-elect Donald Trump said Americans owe Carter “a debt of gratitude.”

“The challenges Jimmy faced as president came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans,” he said on social media.

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton said Carter had “worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world.”

George W. Bush said the Democrat had “dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn’t end with the presidency.”

Barack Obama hailed Carter for teaching “all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice and service.”

  ‘Lover of democracy’ 

The 39th U.S. president “was early to recognize that protecting our shared planet and promoting global public health were vital to national security interests,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Pope Francis “was saddened to learn” of Carter’s death, recalling his “firm commitment, motivated by deep Christian faith, to the cause of reconciliation and peace between peoples, the defence of human rights and the welfare of the poor and those in need,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state.

Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised Carter as “a symbol of humanitarian efforts” for his role in brokering the historic 1978 Camp David Accords, which established peace between Egypt and Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Carter would be remembered for the deal, calling it “a peace treaty that has held for nearly half a century and offers hope for future generations.”

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said he was mourning “the first American president to recognise the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for Carter’s “noble legacy” to live on.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said with the death of Carter, “the United States lost a fighter for democracy. The world lost a great mediator for peace in the Middle East and for human rights.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Carter “was always thoughtful and generous with his advice to me.”

Mexico’s ministry of foreign affairs called Carter’s death a “regrettable loss.”

Britain’s head of state King Charles III said Carter’s “dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many,” while Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to the U.S. leader’s “lifelong dedication to peace.”

In Panama, where Carter reached an agreement to hand over the Panama Canal, then under U.S. control, President Jose Mulino praised the Democrat for helping his country achieve “full sovereignty.”

Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed Carter as “a lover of democracy and defender of peace,” noting his pressuring of Brazil’s dictatorship to release political prisoners.

“He will be remembered forever as a name that defends the idea that peace is the most important condition for development,” Lula said.

  Advancing U.S.-China ties 

Though many focused on his time in office, from 1977-1981, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted Carter’s “unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s unprovoked aggression.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said Carter had “been a steadfast advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and has tirelessly fought for peace.”

In China, where Carter’s administration normalized diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1978, leader Xi Jinping said he was “deeply saddened.”

Carter “had long made significant contributions to advancing the development of China-U.S. ties and fostering friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries”, state broadcaster CCTV reported Xi as saying.

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