By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis – Former South African president and Nobel Peace Prize winner F.W. de Klerk is making several speaking appearances in St. Louis this week.
One of De Klerk's lectures is titled, "The South African Model for Peace and Freedom: From Apartheid to Multicultural Democracy".
De Klerk says one of the lessons that he has learned is that violence is not an effective means of resolving disputes between, and within, countries.
"Peace cannot really successfully be attained through the barrel of a gun, de Klerk said. "In the end, lasting peace can only be achieved by constructive dialogue and negotiation."
As president of South Africa, de Klerk helped end apartheid.
He and Nelson Mandela both received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their role in the democratization of South Africa.