Japan`s Amano, S. Africa`s Minty nominated for IAEA chief

VIENNA, Jan. 3 Kyodo -
The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that Japan's Yukiya Amano
and South African Ambassador Abdul Samad Minty have been nominated as
candidates to succeed Mohamed ElBaradei as head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Amano, 61, is ambassador to the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International
Organizations in Vienna, while Minty, 69, is South Africa's representative to
the IAEA.
Japan and South Africa presented their respective nationals as candidates to
the IAEA board of governors before the deadline on Wednesday. Endorsements of
at least two-thirds of the 35-member board will be required for appointment as
IAEA director general.
If that threshold is not achieved, nomination has to be redone. The board
intends to make an appointment by June, subject to final approval by the IAEA
general conference, scheduled to meet in September.
Amano is promoting Japan's expertise in nuclear technology and his own
credentials such as the IAEA board chairman in 2005-2006 and appears to be
gaining support among Western industrialized countries.
Minty, from South Africa, which abandoned nuclear weapons in the 1990s, is
thought to be drawing endorsements primarily from developing countries. He also
has a broad background himself in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
ElBaradei's term of office is expiring Nov. 30. He has served as IAEA chief
since 1997 and has stated he is not available for a fourth term of office,
according to the IAEA.
==Kyodo