"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.
The former president and Nobel peace prizewinner also commented on a number of other international and political issues. In the exclusive interview, conducted in early October in New York, Mr Carter:
· Warned an attack on Iran would be "a mistake," that could "precipitate another war for which we're not prepared." Carter said the US should establish a diplomatic relationship with Iran and "let them be reassured that they're not going to be attacked."
· Revealed he held no ill will towards the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, identified by some as a leader in the 1979 taking of American hostages that undermined Mr Carter's presidency. "I don't have any animosity," he said.
· Said Mr Bush's human rights policies would bring problems for the president, even though it is a "good idea" for Mr Bush to work for democracy after he leaves office. "It'll be hard among human rights activists to forget that we have declared that the Geneva conventions on treatment of prisoners was inapplicable, or that we have done things that are universally construed as torture," he said. "Or that we have seen the embarrassments of our mistreatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib and in Guantanamo."
· Endorsed Bill Clinton's suggestion of taking an unofficial diplomatic role globally promoting America if his wife, Hillary, wins the White House.
· Observed that with front-loaded primaries for the 2008 presidential election, it is "unlikely" a dark horse candidate could emerge as president as he did in 1976. But Mr Carter pointed to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel as potential 2008 dark horse or third-party candidates.
Mr Carter, promoting a new book, Beyond the White House, said he did not apologise for the title of his highly controversial previous book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, seen by some as a slap at Israel.
But he acknowledged in the interview his regret for a "misstatement" suggesting Palestinians agree to stop terrorism in return for Israeli actions. Mr Carter said he removed the statement from further book editions, including the new paperback.
The former president also cited what he saw a bright spot over the apartheid linkage controversy. "The criticism that it aroused, it probably increased the sale maybe a couple hundred thousand" more books, he said.
