Japan, SAfrica diplomats running for IAEA top job

VIENNA: Japan and South Africa's ambassadors to the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA are the two candidates to replace Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei when his term expires in November, the agency announced on Friday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the nominations of Japan's Yukiya Amano and South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty, who are both on the agency's 35-member board of governors, in a statement today.

The board will hold a vote for the new director-general in June.

Following approval by the agency's member states at a conference in September, ElBaradei's successor will then take over when his mandate expires on November 30.

The Egyptian, who has been the IAEA chief since 1997, said he would not stand for a fourth four-year term.

In 2005, ElBaradei and the IAEA were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy