Nobel Prize winners to examine world food crisis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than three dozen Nobel Prize winners will meet behind closed doors and "fortress-like" security next month in the ancient Jordanian city of Petra to discuss solutions to the world's problems, including the food crisis affecting many nations.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, who co-hosts the fourth annual summit of Nobel winners with Jordan's King Abdullah II, said in an interview on Tuesday this year's conference will pay special attention to the world food and energy crises.

"We try to solve problems that we can solve," Wiesel said, adding that such intractable conflicts as the Arab-Israeli dispute were not on the agenda.

"We spent our first meeting (four years ago) examining a world in danger, and you know what, the world is still in danger," he said.

Participants will be protected by "fortress-like" security, Wiesel added.

Among this year's participants in the three-day conference that starts June 17 are Nobel Peace Prize winners, the Dalai Lama, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Nobel winners in economics, chemistry, physics and medicine also will also attend. Among the programs are a discussion of press freedom and a dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian university educators.

(Reporting by Arthur Spiegelman, Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)