Jermaine Jackson called Wednesday for an end to the public feud that has embroiled his family for more than a week, saying issues over the care of his mother and with late brother Michael’s estate should be handled privately.

Jackson wrote in a statement first released to The Associated Press that he regrets the public turmoil that resulted from his mother Katherine’s 10-day trip to an Arizona spa. The trip sparked a missing person’s report and a driveway confrontation between relatives at the home of Katherine Jackson before a judge stripped her of guardianship duties.

“Mistakes have been made and irrational things have been said on both sides in a highly charged emotional environment,” Jermaine Jackson wrote. “It is time for us all to draw a line in the sand and move towards peace, co-operation, love and healing.”

The Jackson family is still raw from the death of the pop superstar three years ago, Jermaine Jackson wrote, and his mother has endured incredible stress and pressures since then.

He said he remains concerned about his brother’s estate but is dropping support for a letter leaked two weeks ago that called on executors of the estate to resign.

Jermaine Jackson said his statement was prompted after his son asked if he could no longer visit Katherine Jackson at her suburban Calabasas home.

“After much soul-searching, it is clearly time for us to live by Michael’s words about love not war,” he wrote.

At the request of an attorney for TJ Jackson, temporary guardian of Michael Jackson’s children, the estate has acknowledged it has blocked certain relatives from visiting the home. The family members were not named.

Attorneys are still trying to untangle some of the issues that the family dispute has created. Katherine Jackson’s attorney Perry Sanders Jr. said attorneys will return to court Thursday to present an agreement to restore his client as a guardian.

The agreement would also call for TJ Jackson to remain a co-guardian, with control over the staff and day-to-day operations of the home where Katherine Jackson and her grandchildren Prince, Paris and Blanket currently live.

Sanders has said the arrangement will allow Katherine Jackson to focus on the children’s upbringing and not on other financial or logistics issues.

Couric has ‘fling’ — as backup singer

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – Katie Couric is no brown-eyed girl, but she can hold her own singing backup for Jimmy Buffett. The ABC newswoman and TV personality joined Buffett on stage for several songs Tuesday during a concert in Noblesville, Ind., about 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Couric said she thought it would be a fun, visual “little fling.”

Buffett, who covered and often performs the Van Morrison classic “Brown-eyed Girl” at his shows, says Couric can sing and thinks her performance “could be a career-starting move” for her.

Couric has other plans. She’ll launch a new daytime talk show titled “Katie” on Sept. 10.

The ‘ton of money’ was not worth it

NEW YORK – Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler liked the paychecks on “American Idol” but had a love-hate relationship with the show.

He said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine the Fox reality series isn’t his “cup of tea.” But he says it was a “great job” because he sat next to Jennifer Lopez and “made a ton of money.”

Tyler announced last month he was leaving the show after two seasons to re-dedicate himself to Aerosmith. He says it was a lot to juggle the show with recording a new album.

Tyler tells the magazine he took the job because it was a good way to pass the time while he and his bandmates worked out their behind-the-scenes conflicts.

He also says he didn’t have it in him to be negative to “Idol” singing contestants.

– From news service reports