| Norwegian diplomat Terje Roed-Larsen, who's played a major role in Middle East peace efforts, will soon move to New York to head the International Peace Academy (IPA). Roed-Larsen most recently has been a UN special envoy to the Middle East, hand-picked by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. His wife, Mona Juul, has been Norway's ambassador to Israel. Now he'll leave the troubled Middle East to lead the research institute which describes itself as an "independent, international institution dedicated to promoting the prevention and settlement of armed conflicts between and within states through policy research and development." IPA was founded in 1970 by a group of individuals from within and outside the UN, with support from philanthropist Ruth Forbes Young. It works closely with the UN. |