Mohamed ElBaradei on Monday won his third term as Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

Dr ElBaradei is a former Egyptian diplomat who joined the IAEA in 1984 and held a series of high-level policy positions in the organization before becoming Director General 13 years later.

Born in Egypt in 1942, ElBaradei studied law at the University of Cairo. He began his career in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1964, and worked in Egypt's permanent mission to the UN both in New York and in Geneva.

ElBaradei holds a doctorate in international law from New York University's law school. In 1980 he became a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Program at the UN's Institute for Training and Research.

His early diplomatic training is apparent in everything he does- from the relaxed but careful way he talks to journalists, to his dealings with countries' nuclear programs.

Since taking over from Swedish diplomat Hans Blix in 1997, Dr ElBaradei has employed diplomacy to deal with nuclear rows over Iraq, North Korea and Iran, and insists that even in the most difficult situations, progress can be made.

"Verification and diplomacy, used together, can work," he says.

"All the evidence indicates that Iraq's nuclear weapons program had been effectively dismantled in the 1990s through IAEA inspection, as we were nearly ready to conclude before the war," he said.

ElBaradei's views on Iraq inevitably contributed to tensions with the US. Now attention has turned to Iran. ElBaradei has so far not backed the US position that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian program.

Europeans, who are trying to persuade Iran not to resume its uranium enrichment program, believe his caution may give him more credibility.

The big worry for the US administration is what happens if the EU negotiations eventually fail.

They will need strong support to refer Iran to the UN Security Council. And ElBaradei could play a critical role.

ElBaradei is married to Aida Elkachef, a teacher at the Vienna International School. They have a daughter, Laila, a lawyer, and a son, Mostafa, a sound engineer, both of whom live and work in London, England.

Source: Xinhua