ID :
21493
Fri, 09/26/2008 - 21:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/21493
The shortlink copeid
Japan to field diplomat Amano in race for IAEA chief+
TOKYO, Sept. 26 Kyodo - Japan will nominate veteran diplomat Yukiya Amano in the race for the top post
at the International Atomic Energy Agency to succeed Nobel Prize winner Mohamed
ElBaradei, whose term as director general will expire in November next year,
new Prime Minister Taro Aso announced in New York on Thursday.
Amano, 61, currently ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Japan to the
International Organizations in Vienna, told a news conference in the Austrian
capital the same day that if elected he would do his utmost to contribute to
the prevention of nuclear proliferation.
''Ambassador Amano has, over the course of his career to date, gained
substantial and far-reaching experience in the areas of nonproliferation,
disarmament and nuclear energy, and is now an internationally renowned
diplomat,'' the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release Friday.
''Japan is confident that Ambassador Amano is an ideally suited candidate to
take on the duties and responsibilities of director general of the IAEA, and
intends to do its best to gain the support of the international community,''
the ministry said.
Amano was the first director general of the Foreign Ministry's Disarmament,
Non-proliferation and Science Department when the post was established in 2004.
He also chaired the IAEA Board of Governors in 2005-2006 as well as the first
session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty Review Conference in 2007.
''Japan can make a significant contribution to the IAEA, given our expertise in
nonproliferation as well as atomic energy,'' a senior Foreign Ministry official
said of the nomination.
The ministry launched an election campaign task force on Friday.
The decision to field Amano in the race for the IAEA leadership reflects
Japan's hopes of promoting its international presence and determination to
strengthen the nonproliferation regime amid controversies over a U.S.-India
civil nuclear pact and the North Korean and Iranian nuclear standoffs.
Aso announced the nomination during his address at the U.N. General Assembly on
Thursday and called on his counterparts to support Amano's candidacy.
There are currently only two Japanese nationals occupying top posts at major
U.N. organizations, namely Koichiro Matsuura, director general of the U.N.
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and Nobuo Tanaka, executive
director of the International Energy Agency.
With Japan also bidding for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council,
government sources said the race for the IAEA post is one that Japan must win.
The IAEA Board of Governors plans to elect the next director general by June
next year.
To be elected, a candidate must secure the support of at least two-thirds of
the 35 member nations on the Board of Governors.
==Kyodo
at the International Atomic Energy Agency to succeed Nobel Prize winner Mohamed
ElBaradei, whose term as director general will expire in November next year,
new Prime Minister Taro Aso announced in New York on Thursday.
Amano, 61, currently ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Japan to the
International Organizations in Vienna, told a news conference in the Austrian
capital the same day that if elected he would do his utmost to contribute to
the prevention of nuclear proliferation.
''Ambassador Amano has, over the course of his career to date, gained
substantial and far-reaching experience in the areas of nonproliferation,
disarmament and nuclear energy, and is now an internationally renowned
diplomat,'' the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release Friday.
''Japan is confident that Ambassador Amano is an ideally suited candidate to
take on the duties and responsibilities of director general of the IAEA, and
intends to do its best to gain the support of the international community,''
the ministry said.
Amano was the first director general of the Foreign Ministry's Disarmament,
Non-proliferation and Science Department when the post was established in 2004.
He also chaired the IAEA Board of Governors in 2005-2006 as well as the first
session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2010 Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty Review Conference in 2007.
''Japan can make a significant contribution to the IAEA, given our expertise in
nonproliferation as well as atomic energy,'' a senior Foreign Ministry official
said of the nomination.
The ministry launched an election campaign task force on Friday.
The decision to field Amano in the race for the IAEA leadership reflects
Japan's hopes of promoting its international presence and determination to
strengthen the nonproliferation regime amid controversies over a U.S.-India
civil nuclear pact and the North Korean and Iranian nuclear standoffs.
Aso announced the nomination during his address at the U.N. General Assembly on
Thursday and called on his counterparts to support Amano's candidacy.
There are currently only two Japanese nationals occupying top posts at major
U.N. organizations, namely Koichiro Matsuura, director general of the U.N.
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and Nobuo Tanaka, executive
director of the International Energy Agency.
With Japan also bidding for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council,
government sources said the race for the IAEA post is one that Japan must win.
The IAEA Board of Governors plans to elect the next director general by June
next year.
To be elected, a candidate must secure the support of at least two-thirds of
the 35 member nations on the Board of Governors.
==Kyodo
