Support the Reconfirmation of IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei

Action Alert! - Support the Reconfirmation of IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei

The following is an action alert and sample letter to send to the 35-member International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Directors in support of the reconfirmation of Director General Mohamed ElBaradei. Please circulate as broadly as possible. If you are a US citizen, please visit http://capwiz.com/wagingpeace/issues/alert/?alertid=6779766&type=ML to take action directly online and send the message to your local media as well as the IAEA Board of Directors. If you take action online, you can choose to print out the message and send it by regular mail or fax (contact information below).

You may wish to modify the sample letter with information regarding your organization. Be sure to include the number of members in your organization and other information you feel would be valuable or add credibility to the message.

If you are outside of the US or want to send the letter to individual missions, the contact information for all of the members of the IAEA Board of Directors is listed below.

Action Alert!

The Bush Administration is mad at Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, the Director General of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). And, so, in typical Bush administration fashion, it is now seeking to change the rules in order to prevent Dr. ElBaradei from standing for reelection.

Elections are generally a straightforward process. According to IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky, candidates for Director General in this election cycle are scheduled to be approved at the IAEA board meeting in June 2005. This would be followed by an election by the general conference in September.

Even though no new nominations for Director General were received by the deadline, which was 31 December 2005, the US has made it clear it doesn't want the current chief, Dr. ElBaradei, to stand for a third term. The US , joined by a few other western nations, has called for a two-term limit for UN officials. However, former Director General Hans Blix served four terms and before him, Sigvard Eklund served five terms.

Countries on the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors will attempt to reach a common position before deciding whether to reelect Dr. ElBaradei. Diplomats report this could take several months given Washington 's opposition to Dr. ElBaradei.

Recently, the Washington Post and New York Times revealed that the US tapped Director General ElBaradei's phone in order to intercept conversations he had with Iranian diplomats. The intercepts produced no evidence of inappropriate conduct. However, they do reveal the lengths to which some in the Bush Administration have gone to try to replace the 62 year-old Egyptian lawyer.

The Bush crowd has a long history of dissatisfaction with ElBaradei. It began with his refusal to back US allegations that Saddam Hussein had revived his clandestine nuclear bomb program. Recently, the US advocated that the UN Security Council impose sanctions on Iran because of suspected nuclear weapons development activities.

Instead, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a resolution on the implementation of an agency safeguards agreement with Iran , based on a detailed report by Director General ElBaradei.

Still, it is likely that Dr. ElBaradei most egregiously irked the Bush Administration when he made pointed references to the nuclear weapons states' hypocritical policies. For example, Dr. ElBaradei has stated, "We must abandon the unworkable notion that it is morally reprehensible for some countries to pursue weapons of mass destruction yet morally acceptable for others to rely on them for security and indeed to continue to refine their capacities and postulate plans for their use."

Many non-governmental organizations in the disarmament field, including Tri-Valley CAREs and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, often educate disarmament staff at the UN about US nuclear weapons activities. In doing this, we challenge the same double standards that Director General ElBaradei has addressed.

In addition, we find that Dr. ElBaradei's experience and expertise reinforce his ability to stand by UN findings in the face of tremendous political pressure. He has served two decades in high-level positions at the IAEA, and his diplomatic service and work in fields of international law spans four decades.

It will take at least 12 members of the 35-member Board of Governors to block Dr. ElBaradei's reconfirmation. Write to the IAEA Board of Governors now and tell them you support the reconfirmation of Dr. ElBaradei as Director General.

Sample Letter

Chair of the IAEA Board of Governors, Ambassador and Permanent Representative from Canada , Ingrid Hall

Board of Governors, IAEA

Your Excellencies:

I wish to convey my strong support for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei to be confirmed to hold office for a third term.

"Nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament are two sides of the same coin, and both must be energetically pursued." This statement was made in the fall of 2004 by the foreign ministers of Brazil , Egypt , Ireland , Mexico , New Zealand , South Africa , and Sweden . We believe this statement reflects Director General ElBaradei's essential conviction to walk the tight rope between the interests of the nuclear weapons states and the non-nuclear weapons states. In addition, we are confident that Dr. ElBaradei possesses the diplomatic and leadership skills necessary to work successfully with the diverse interests of scientists, international legal experts, States, and civil society.

Dr. ElBaradei's service in high-level policy positions at the IAEA for two decades and his diplomatic service and work in fields of international law spanning four decades demonstrate his necessary experience and expertise. The experience and expertise that comes with longevity allows a leader to be strong and unwavering in the face of political pressure. Although the United States has called for a two-term limit for United Nations officials, former IAEA Director General Hans Blix served four terms and before that Director General Sigvard Eklund served five terms. Dr. ElBaradei serving three terms is in line with this precedent.

Dr. ElBaradei's vision and courage will contribute to making nonproliferation and disarmament a reality. I urge you to support Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei in a continued role as the IAEA Director General.

IAEA Board of Directors Members

Member States represented on the IAEA Board for 2004-2005 are Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tunisia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Venezuela, Vietnam and Yemen.

ALGERIA

l New York Permanent Mission

Ambassador: H.E. Mr. Abdallah Baali
326 East 48th Street
New York , NY 10017
Ph. (212) 750-1960
Fax. (212) 759-9538
E-mail: algeria@un.int
www.algeria-un.org
Disarmament Counsellor: Mr. Saad Maandi

mission.algerie@mission-algerie.ch

ARGENTINA

l New York Permanent Mission

Ambassador: H.E. Mr. Cèsar Mayoral
1 United Nations Plaza , 25th Floor
New York , NY 10017
Ph. (212) 688-6300
Fax. (212) 980-8395
Email: argentina@un.int
www.un.int/argentina
Disarmament Counsellor: Ms. Gabriela Martinic

mission.argentina@ties.itu.int

AUSTRALIA

l New York Permanent Mission

Ambassador: H.E. Mr. John Dauth
150 East 42nd Street , 33rd Floor
New York , NY 10017
Ph. (212) 351-6600
Fax. (212) 351-6610
E-mail: australia@un.int
Disarmament Counsellor: Mr. Paul Stevens

BELGIUM

l New York Permanent Mission

Ambassador: H.E. Mr. Jean De Ruyt
823 United Nations Plaza , 4th Floor
New York , NY 10017
Ph. (212) 378-6300
Fax. (212) 681-7618
Email: belgium@un.int
Disarmament Counsellor: Mr. De Loecker

mission.belgium@ties.itu.int

BRAZIL