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For more information contact mark.a.kinders@uwrf.edu or brenda.k.bredahl@uwrf.edu.

Chancellor Addresses Middle East Issues

By Lisa Stratton
UWRF University Communications

OCT. 22, 2007--Chancellor Don Betz of the University of Wisconsin-River Falls is preparing for an intriguing and engaging talk titled, "Transitions in the Middle East," at 3:20 p.m. Oct. 30 in the 1874 Room of the University Center as part of the Coffee With the Times discussion series.

"I will spend some time discussing the proposed international conference currently championed by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, plus Iraq after the Petraeus/Crocker report, and the role of Iran in the political waters of the Middle East," says Betz. "All of these issues have been raised in the New York Times in recent weeks."

An Associated Press article in the Oct. 18 New York Times describes Rice's efforts at peace talks during her seventh trip to areas including the embattled West Bank. The article also notes that President George W. Bush will send Stephen Hadley, national security advisor/assistant to the president for national security affairs, to the Middle East.

"I chose the topic due to the number of significant issues currently on the global political agenda that are centered in the Middle East," says Betz,

Betz has a continuing professional interest in the region and its issues. From 1982 through 2003, Betz worked for and with the United Nations on Middle East issues. He created and chaired the International Coordinating Committee on the Question of Palestine (ICCP), a UN-affiliated nongovernmental organization (NGO) network pursuing peace in the Middle East based on UN resolutions. Betz's international experience also includes service with the University of Pittsburgh's Semester-at-Sea, Chapman College's World Campus Afloat, and journalistic experience in the Middle East.

This event is free and open to the public. The Coffee With the Times series is sponsored by the American Democracy Project and the New York Times Readership Program at UW-River Falls. For more information, please contact Colleen Callahan at 715-425-3169.

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