Oscar Arias Sanchez to Speak at UA March 27

Akron, Ohio, March 13, 2001 — Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica and 1987 Nobel Peace Laureate, will deliver a lecture at 8 p.m., March 27 at The University of Akron E.J. Thomas Hall.

Sanchez is fourth of five speakers in the 2000-01 University of Akron Forum Series, and his visit to Akron is sponsored by the University Honors Program.

A champion of human development, democracy and demilitarization, Arias is recognized as an international spokesman for the Third World. He was elected Costa Rica's president in 1986, during one of the more dangerous periods of Central American history. Internal unrest in Nicaragua, Guatamala and El Salvador threatened to engulf the entire region as border tensions rose between neighboring countries.

Prior to his inauguration, Arias visited Latin American heads of state and nine of them attended his ceremony in the capital city, San Jose. At that meeting, Arias called for a continental alliance to defend democracy, liberty and the right of countries to choose their own types of government based on free and fair elections.

The following year Arias drafted a peace plan to end the regional crisis. On Aug. 7, 1987, all of Central America's presidents signed the "Procedures for the Establishment of a Firm and Lasting Peace in Central America." Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace prize, and remained Costa Rica's president until 1990.

He used the monetary award from the prize to establish the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. Arias currently serves on several international organizations, including the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the International Center for Human Rights and Democratic Development, and the Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He has received number honorary doctorates , as well as prizes like the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Award, the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Award and the Jack Ralston Prize.

The University of Akron Forum Series is in its sixth year of bringing noted lecturers to northeast Ohio. Tickets are $8, or $4 with University of Akron identification. For ticket information, contact E.J. Thomas Hall at (330) 972-7570, or visit the webpage at www.ejthomashall.com.

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