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Nobel Peace Prize winners Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh have been invited to attend the 29th World Peace Day commemoration ceremony in the eastern city of Ambon this month.

The chairman of the World Peace Day committee, Djuyoto Suntani, said in Semarang on Monday that invitations had been extended to Mandela, the former South African president, and Yusus, but that neither man had yet to confirm his attendance.

Djuyoto was in the Central Java capital to check on the “world peace gong” that is being manufactured by a craftsman in Jepara district.

He said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was scheduled to strike the gong to mark the opening of the World Peace Day ceremony, which is scheduled to take place sometime this month, though the final date has yet to be set.

Djuyoto said it was uncertain whether Mandela or Yunus would attend the ceremony, adding that the 91-year-old former South African leader’s health could prevent him from making the trip.

“We are still waiting for confirmation of Mandela’s presence in Ambon because it depends on the state of his health,” he said.

Mandela has received more than a hundred awards over four decades for his efforts and services not only to his nation but also to people around the world.

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, which focuses on providing small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries, was awarded the Concorde Prince of Asturias award in 1998.

In 2006, Yunus and Grameen Bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.”

“We are looking forward to the presence of both Mandela and Yunus in the eastern Indonesian city of Ambon,” Djuyoto said. He added that the ambassadors of countries friendly to Jakarta had also been invited to attend the international event.

Meanwhile, Cak Saimima, the local committee chairman for the event, said the exact date for the observance of the 29th World Peace Day in Ambon would be decided by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

“It is up to President Yudhoyono to set the date of the occasion because he will have to strike the world peace gong, which is still being made by a craftsman in Jepara, Central Java,” Saimima said.

He said Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono would facilitate a meeting between a Maluku delegation led by Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu and the president to discuss and decide on the date.

“The commemoration of the 29th World Peace Day was originally scheduled for November 10, 2009, but it will be observed in conjunction with National Heroes’ Day, and therefore has been postponed until November 15,” Saimima said.

“But the final decision on the date is for the president to make,” he added.

Antara