MALAYSIA APPOINTS ITS AMBASSADOR IN QATAR AS NEW IAEA ENVOY

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has appointed its ambassador in
Qatar Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob as the new Governor to the Board of
Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anifah Aman said Muhammad Shahrul
Ikram succeeded Mohd Arshad M.Hussain whose contract was scheduled to
expire on March 12.

As such, Anifah denied earlier media reports that Mohd Arshad had been
sacked from his post.

"It is normal process for the Government to appointment new ambassadors to
replace ambassadors whose term of contract have expired in order to make way for
new talents," he said in a statement here Wednesday.

Anifah said he had conveyed the appointment letter of Muhammad Shahrul Ikram
to the Director-General of IAEA, Yukida Amano, on Feb 4, 2010.


Muhammad Shahrul Ikram, who is presently Malaysia's Ambassador to Qatar, is
a senior diplomat with immense experience in multilateral affairs.

He was very familiar with the work of IAEA, having served as the Alternate
Resident Representative of Malaysia to the Agency from 2002 to 2005, said
Anifah.

Muhammad Shahrul Ikram had also served as the Under-secretary of
Multilateral Political Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2005 to
2007 in charge of, among others, IAEA affairs, he added.

-- BERNAMA