South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday congratulated Mohamed ElBaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for winning the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

The IAEA had performed valuable tasks central to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, Mbeki said in a statement issued by the foreign ministry.

"The award is a personal tribute to your integrity and professionalism as head of the Agency and a well deserved recognition of the impartial and authoritative role of the IAEA," Mbeki told ElBaradei.

"We also commend the IAEA for its role as an important multilateral body performing valuable verification and other tasks that are central to the critical objectives of nuclear non- proliferation and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the context of the need to eliminate all nuclear weapons," he said.

The Nobel Committee awarded its prestigious Peace Prize to the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and its Egyptian director general Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday for their efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons.

The IAEA and its chief were honored "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way," said the committee.

ElBaradei, 63, and the IAEA had been among favorites for the prestigious award and won from a record field of 199 candidates ranging from presidents to Irish rock star Bono.

Source: Xinhua