 Election for IAEA new chief stalls
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-27 07:42
An election to pick a new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief stalled yesterday when the Japanese frontrunner failed to win a required 2/3 majority in three rounds of voting, diplomats said. Japan's Yukiya Amano prevailed over South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty by 21-14, 20-15 and 20-15 margins in the closed-door secret balloting, they said. But this was short of the 24-vote victory threshold in the IAEA's 35-nation governing board. The UN nuclear watchdog's governors were expected to try again later yesterday or today by holding a simple "yes or not" vote with only the leading candidate, Amano, on the ballot. If inconclusive, this procedure will be repeated for Minty. If there is still no clearcut winner, the race to succeed IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei will be thrown open to new candidates with perhaps a better chance of bridging divisions between rich and poor nations on the board. Amano, Japanese ambassador to the IAEA, and South African counterpart Minty were vying to take over the agency at a time of mounting challenges to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. ElBaradei steps down in November after three terms spanning 12 years and governors of the UN nuclear watchdog were anxious to have a new chief by June to ensure a smooth transition. Amano, 61, a reserved diplomat steeped in civilian nuclear energy and non-proliferation affairs, maintained a solid lead over Minty, 69, a veteran, eloquent disarmament negotiator and former anti-apartheid activist. The director determines the style and substance of the agency's approach, in consultation with governors, in seeking to catch countries making bombs through inspections and foster the sharing of nuclear know-how for development and health care. Reuters
(China Daily 03/27/2009 page12) |
