News
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Pakistan chairs board of IAEA* US Ambassador says Washington looks forward ‘very much’ to working with Pakistani official as chairman of the board of governors
VIENNA: Pakistan was named head of the UN nuclear watchdog’s governing board on Monday.
At a special one-day meeting, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-member board of governors appointed “by acclamation” the head of Pakistan’s Atomic Energy Commission, Ansar Parvez, as its chairman for the next 12 months, taking over from Malaysia. …No country opposed Pakistan’s nomination by a group of Middle Eastern and south Asian member states, one diplomat said.
The board of governors is the IAEA’s most important policy-making body after the 151-nation general conference.
Its rotating chair is appointed for a period of one year with the main task of presiding over debates and helping the board of governors reach consensus decisions. Parvez said he saw no problem with the choice, even though Pakistan, like India and Israel, refuses to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Pakistan has held the chair before and India has done so twice. Western countries have often expressed concern about the security of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and stockpile of weapons-grade material, and the danger of it falling into the hands of Taliban and al Qaeda.
But speaking to reporters after his appointment, Parvez insisted that Pakistan was a “very law-abiding member” of the IAEA.
In fact, given Pakistan’s special position, “maybe we can try to mediate in some of the things which the IAEA has been dealing with for the last few years,” Parvez argued.
He said that he had heard no objections to Pakistan’s nomination inside the boardroom. Furthermore, it was the duty of the chair to remain neutral.
“This is just a routine change. This time it was the turn of Middle East and South Asia group and they unanimously nominated Pakistan,” Parvez said.
Western diplomats at the closed-door board meeting on Monday also said they had no particular problem with Pakistan taking over the chair.
“They are a member (of the IAEA), as, say, Israel is,” one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. US ambassador to the IAEA Glyn Davies said, “The United States of America looks forward very much to working with the Pakistani governor as chairman of the board of governors.” agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk