Japanese Yukiya Amano becomes IAEA head

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Japanese Yukiya Amano becomes IAEA head

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01 December,2009 08:22 pm

Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano took charge of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday, replacing Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei who is retiring after 12 years at the helm.Amano, 62, has specialised in multilateral nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation posts and negotiations over 36 years in Japan's foreign service.He took part in arms control talks that produced the 1995 extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the verification protocol for the 2001 Biological Weapons Convention.He also served as chairman of the IAEA's policy-making governing body in 2005-06 when the agency and ElBaradei were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Amano accepted the prize on behalf of the agency.