U.S. Clears Way for IAEA Chief’s Third Term

Washington has abandoned its attempt to prevent International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei from seeking a third term in the post, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, April 28).

ElBaradei is expected to arrive in Washington late today and is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Undersecretary of State for Arms Control Robert Joseph, the Post reported.

European officials last week pleaded with their U.S. counterparts to support ElBaradei, arguing that the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program called for greater cooperation between the agency, the United States and its allies, according to U.S. officials and a senior European diplomat.

Rice decided afterward to invite ElBaradei to Washington and officially support his candidacy, two U.S. officials told the Post.

“He is going to win either way, and if we went in opposing him, it would be ugly for us and for him,” one official said. “So it’s in everyone’s interest to use the opportunity to work better together.”

However, Rice also intends to emphasize that Washington expects certain things in return for its support, the officials said.

“We’re willing to lift our objections under certain conditions,” one official said. “Namely, get tougher on Iran.”

In the past two years, agency inspectors have uncovered a large-scale, clandestine Iranian nuclear program developed over an 18-year period, according to the Post.

In its attempt to unseat ElBaradei, the Bush administration halted intelligence sharing with the agency and eavesdropped on ElBaradei in search of incriminating information against him, the Post reported. The effort was largely seen as having been spearheaded by former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control John Bolton, now the Bush administration’s nominee to be ambassador to the United Nations (see related GSN story, today).

Despite such efforts, all 34 other countries on the agency’s Board of Governors continued to support him (Dafna Linzer, Washington Post, June 8).

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