New IAEA chief faces fresh challenges

VIENNA, Dec. 1, (Xinhua) - Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano assumed his new post on Tuesday as director-general (DG) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

New International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano (C) gestures during his first staff meetingt in his office at Vienna's U.N. headquarters December 1, 2009. Japanese diplomat Amano took charge of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday,  replacing Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei who retired after 12 years at the helm.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Amano, like his predecessor Mohamed ElBaradei, avoided ceremony marking the change-over and convened a regular working meeting.

He made a brief address to reporters, saying his first day in office was the beginning of new challenges and the post would be a great responsibility for him. He did not take any questions.

Amano was chosen to take up the post by the IAEA Board of Governors in early July this year and approved by the 53rd session of the General Assembly in September.

He starts his job with nuclear issues in Iran and the Korean Peninsula intensifying.

In April, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) stopped cooperation with IAEA, requiring the overall withdrawal of agency inspectors, as the peninsula's nuclear issue slid again into deadlock.

Late last month, Iran rejected a new IAEA plan to resolve issues surrounding its pursuit of a nuclear program and announced that it would strengthen its nuclear projects.

These will severely test Amano's ability to perform his duties independently and impartially, coordinate the interests of all parties and avoid further deterioration of the nuclear issue.

After his approval in September, he said he would spend his four-year term vigorously promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and further enhancing the authority of the IAEA's nuclear safeguards.

He also stressed that Japan was the only country in the world to have suffered atomic attacks. Therefore, as a Japanese citizen, he would also try his best to prevent further nuclear proliferation.