PROFILE: Nuclear sleuth ElBaradei seeks new role in Egypt

Thu, 27 Jan 2011

Vienna/Cairo - Mohamed ElBaradei was known for many years as the world's chief nuclear inspector, but since his retirement as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Nobel Peace Prize laureate has set his sights on politics in his native Egypt.

During his tenure at the Vienna-based IAEA, which ended in late 2009, ElBaradei was originally known as a cautious bureaucrat, who became more and more vocal on global issues as time went on.

Now he is bluntly criticizing Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak's 30-year long regime. After hinting at a potential bid for the presidency, ElBaradie's return to Egypt in early 2010 served as a rallying point for the country's divided opposition and lifted the hopes of thousands of activists.

He formed the National Coalition for Change, which brings together several of Egypt's opposition groups and demands democratic reforms from the government, including an end to emergency laws and transparent presidential elections.

But the Coalition suffered deep internal divisions in the lead-up to the country's upper and lower house elections later that year. Domestic support for ElBaradei fizzled, and he returned to Vienna.

Two days after widespread anti-government protests shook the country on January 25 2011, ElBaradei returned to Cairo saying he would be willing to lead a transitional government if the public asked him to.

However, there is skepticism in Egypt about ElBaradei's leadership potential, given his long period of absence from the country and his continued residence abroad.

At the IAEA, ElBaradei proved that he can withstand intense pressure and that he will "speak truth to power," as he is fond of saying.

In February 2003, a few weeks before the US-led invasion of Iraq, he said his agency had "found no proof" that the Saddam Hussein regime had a nuclear program.

Washington meanwhile insisted on the existence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction programs - which later turned out to be wrong.

After the invasion, ElBaradei openly criticized the United States for its mistake.

His stance on Iraq is widely believed to be one reason why he and the IAEA jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.

In the controversy over Iran's nuclear program, ElBaradei also caused anger in Washington. He pleaded for a cautious approach, while the US advocated UN Security Council sanctions.

In his last years as IAEA head, ElBaradei frequently irritated Western governments by speaking out about topics which were not within his mandate, such as nuclear weapons disarmament and world poverty.

ElBaradei was born in Cairo on June 17, 1942 the son of a prominent lawyer. He also studied law, at the university in his home city and in New York.

He joined the Egyptian diplomatic service in 1964, and was posted to the United Nations in New York and Geneva.

In 1984, he switched to the IAEA, where he headed the legal and external relations departments before succeeding the Swede Hans Blix as director general from 1993.

The former diplomat is married and has two adult children, a son and a daughter.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/364620,seeks-new-role-egypt.html.