IAEA Director General Mohamed El-Baradie crosses swords with Washington. Dina Ezzat reports The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed El-Baradie still has a long way to go before he can secure himself a new four-year term at the helm of the international nuclear watchdog. In office for two terms since 1997, El-Baradie, is fighting tooth and nail to stay on for a third term. "He believes he still has so much to do and that there is still so much that he can accomplish and that it would not be right for him to leave at the middle of the road," said IAEA Spokeswoman Melissa Fleming. This is not the stance taken by Washington, the most influential country on the IAEA 35-member board of governors. US officials have openly said that Washington has no intention of keeping El- Baradie in office for a third term. The Americans insist that they are opposed to any international civil servant keeping a top position of any international organisation for more than two terms. American officials claim that El-Baradie's performance was not up to their expectations. The Americans deliberately leaked to the international media reports that El-Baradie was "soft on Iraq", is "soft on Iran" and warned that he was embroiled in supposedly dubious Egyptian attempts to develop an illicit secret military nuclear programme. In spite of the American machinations, however, El-Baradie stands as the only candidate for the job of the IAEA director. When the door for nominations was shut on 31 December, no other candidate's name was put forward. Even Australia which had expressed sympathy with the US attempt to remove El-Baradie declined, at the last minute to nominate its foreign minister Alexander Downer for the job. This is certainly something that the US does not like. US diplomats in Vienna have made it clear to IAEA officials that when the time comes for the final vote to be made next June, El-Baradie will be "leaving." "Dr El-Baradie is the only candidate and what happens next is up to the board of governors," Fleming told the Weekly. According to the rules and procedures of the IAEA for El-Baradie to get a vote of confidence he needs a two-thirds majority support from the board of governors. The 2004-2005 IAEA board of governors has three Arab members -- Algeria, Tunisia and Yemen. It also has eight member-states that belong to the G77 and as such are expected to lend support to Egyptian national El-Baradie. Egyptian diplomats also note that El-Baradie has considerable support from several Western member-states on the IAEA board who "acknowledge El-Baradie for the good and impartial work he has done and for his high scientific credentials." The IAEA board of governors has been in intense consultations over the matter. Informed sources in Vienna say that "the matter is not decided yet." Overall, El-Baradie supporters feel they have good chances. However, they are also aware that the US is not going to give up. US diplomats in Vienna are making no effort to hide their intentions of undermining El-Baradie. "This determination to mar El-Baradie's image was expressed by some members of the outgoing US administration and we still need to learn about the intentions of the new administration," an Egyptian diplomat said. He added that "The argument that El-Baradie should not keep his post for more than two terms is defeated by the very fact that his predecessor Hans Blix was in office for four terms from 1981 until 1997." Only Sterling Cole, of the US, the first IAEA director general that stayed in office for four years from 1957 to 1961. His successor, Sigvard Eklund, a Swedish scientist, was in office for five terms from 1961 until 1981. Moreover, as Arab diplomats note it is too absurd to try and accuse El-Baradie of being soft on Iraq or, for that matter Iran, when he is widely accused in the Arab media of being too harsh on Iraq and Iran and too soft on Israel -- a country that has turned down all international appeals to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Israel has also declined to open its nuclear facilities to inspections and subject to international safeguards. "These are only accusations that the Americans make," noted one Cairo-based Arab diplomat. On 28 February the IAEA board of governors is expected to meet to decide its initial stand. If El- Baradie gets a two thirds majority in that meeting then he might have a better chance of keeping his job. The final, and more crucial vote however, is made around mid-June. The determining factor is the vote of EU members who are still in two minds. According to Fleming, if re-elected for a new term in office, El-Baradie will put forward an ambitious plan to strengthen the non-proliferation regime. This plan, she said, deserves international support. "One of the reasons he wants to keep going is Iran. He believes that if he was to leave now it would be a pity for him to abandon the job before it is completed," Fleming said. Fleming added, "With the NPT coming to a crossroads, El-Baradie has a set of proposals that aim to enhance it and he believes if he has the chance to execute them he would be able to serve the purposes of the non-proliferation regime." One of El-Baradie's proposals is to put a moratorium on any new countries pursuing uranium enrichment or processing. El-Baradie also wants countries that already have nuclear capabilities to support non-nuclear countries by helping them to produce nuclear fuel for power plants. "This, he believes, could strengthen the NPT system," Fleming said. El-Baradie, Fleming explained, is also much too concerned that the NPT has become too easy to violate. The IAEA director general wants to work with the UN Security Council to give the NPT teeth by making all violations of its rules strictly punishable by the Security Council. El-Baradie is hoping that if re-elected he will work with the rest of the international community to encourage all UN member-states to become committed to work with the IAEA to observe international safety guards. "I believe that Dr El-Baradie shares the will of US President George Bush to strengthen the regime of non-proliferation," Fleming said. When El-Baradie meets with US official at the review conference of the NPT next May in New York, it will be made clear whether or not this common interest in advancing nuclear non- proliferation system will convince the Americans to allow him a new term in office. Until then, the IAEA director general will have to keep lobbying international support for his re-election.
