Peace negotiator speaks Wednesday

VAIL - Dr. Merle Lefkoff, who has been involved in international peace negotiations, will be speaking to the Vail Eagle Valley Rotary club Wednesday. The title of her talk is: "An Innovative Democratic Vision for the Middle East."

Lefkoff became a negotiator after working in the Carter Administration. She was involved in peace talks between the Sandinistas and Contras in Nicaragua, the Bosnians and Serbs in the Balkans, and the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Lefkoff is currently working on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and organizes meetings between Israeli and Palestinian women leaders.

Until recently, Lefkoff was a guest scientist at the Center for Non-Linear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratories in Santa Fe, N.M. Scientists there are attempting to develop computer simulations of people's behavior under stressful conditions in different societies.

The simulations are run millions of times on a computer to anticipate how societies might behave in the event, for example, of an extremist attack or a epidemic. The federal government is using these simulations to provide best-guess options in the event of a real terrorist attack.

Peace talks What: Members of the public are invited to hear Dr. Merle Lefkoff talk about her career as a peace negotiator and her currents efforts in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When: 7:30 a.m., Wednesday Where: Manor Vail lodge (near Golden Peak) Cost: $15 per person, breakfast is included. Reservations: Seating is limited. E-mail club secretary Henry Kunter, henry@kuntercpa.net

In a privately funded effort, Dr. Lefkoff is using the techniques developed in this experiments to explore options for peace in the Middle East.

Vail, Colorado