FORMER U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO DISCUSS TERRORISM IN FREE LECTURE MONDAY NIGHT
Carl Bildt, former U.N. special envoy to the Balkans and former prime minister of Sweden, will discuss "The Expanding Dimensions of Transatlantic Security" in a free public lecture at 8 p.m. Monday, May 13, in Webb University Center at Old Dominion University.
The talk will open "Combating Terrorism: A Global Approach?", a day-long symposium sponsored by Old Dominion and Allied Command, Atlantic, that will be held Tuesday, May 14, at the university. While Bildt's Monday night lecture is free and open to the public, Tuesday's symposium costs $30 and includes lunch.
The symposium is an opportunity for government officials, academic analysts, high-ranking military officers and media to address the essential questions of security and define a comprehensive approach to terrorism.
Bildt served as the U.N. Secretary General's special envoy for the Balkans from 1999 until last July. His involvement with Balkan affairs stretches back to 1995 when he was appointed the EU special representative to the former Yugoslavia and co-chairman of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia. Following his co-chairmanship of the Dayton peace talks, he served until the summer of 1997 as the international community's high representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, monitoring from Sarajevo the implementation of the peace agreement and coordinating its civilian aspects.
A Member of Parliament in Sweden since 1979, Bildt served as the country's prime minister from 1991 to 1994, negotiating Sweden's accession to the European Union.
Bildt has wide experience in foreign and security affairs. In Sweden he was a member of the Royal Advisory Council on Foreign Affairs and various defense review commissions. Internationally, he was the chairman of the International Democratic Union and is associated with numerous international organizations, including the advisory boards of the Centre for European Reform and the Aspen Institute Italia.
For more information about Monday's lecture or Tuesday's symposium contact Old Dominion University at 757-683-3116.