The group are in the region to discuss various issues relating to the Koreas and will visit North Korea on Tuesday.
"I feel very honoured to be a part of this group" Ahtisaari said at a Beijing press conference on Monday, "we now have to see what we are able to achieve to ease the existing tensions."
It is not yet known whether the group will meet with North Korean President Kim Jong-il during their visit to the country. One of the main themes of the trip is to look at ways of alleviating the alarming food crisis faced by North Korea. According to President Jimmy Carter a third of North Korean children are under-nourished and have suffered growth defficiencies as a result.