U.N. agency chief wins Nobel Peace Prize
Published 9:00 pm Friday, October 7, 2005
VIENNA, Austria – Mohamed ElBaradei prides himself on remaining cool under pressure, but he showed unusual flashes of emotion on learning Friday that he and his International Atomic Energy Agency had won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.
His eyes misted up several times behind his glasses as he spoke about the delight – and surprise – he felt when he heard that he and the U.N. nuclear watchdog he heads had been picked to share the world’s most prestigious award.
“This came as an absolute surprise to me,” the austere, 63-year-old Egyptian said. “I was just on my feet with my wife, hugging and kissing and full of joy and full of pride.”
Because he stayed home Friday instead of coming into his office, he missed the Nobel committee’s phone call to the agency’s Vienna headquarters, as well as a visit from Norwegian diplomats bearing a floral bouquet.
ElBaradei (pronounced ehl-BEHR’-uh-day) figured someone else had been honored – until he heard his name on TV.
The Nobel endorsement has particular resonance for ElBaradei, strengthening him in a job he nearly lost over a dispute with the United States over Iran and Iraq. His winning, he suggested, vindicated his methods and goals – using diplomacy rather than confrontation and defusing tensions in multilateral negotiations that strive for consensus.
He also suggested the conflict with Washington was past, saying Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “wished me well” in a congratulatory phone call.
The Bush administration has bristled at ElBaradei’s positions on the nuclear threat posed by Iran and Iraq and unsuccessfully lobbied to block his appointment to a third and final four-year term this year. The Nobel was viewed as a major boost to the agency’s director general and his mandate to curb nuclear proliferation.
Associated Press
Mohamed ElBaradei says he wasn’t expecting to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.
