VIENNA: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano has passed away, his secretariat said on Monday in Vienna.
Amano spent years negotiating with Iran on more intrusive nuclear inspections, and he oversaw the implementation of the nuclear agreement that Tehran finally agreed to in 2015.
The IAEA director general passed away on Thursday, and his family held a quiet funeral on Monday, IAEA spokesman Fredrik Dahl said. Last September, Amano’s office announced he had undergone an unspecified medical procedure.
Since his return to work, he had appeared frailer, and he reached out IAEA member states last week to inform them that he planned to step down next March.
“However, this was overtaken by the unfortunate development of his health condition in the last few days,” Dahl said.
Amano first assumed the office of IAEA director general in 2009, after having served as a senior arms control diplomat in the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
Amano was a strong supporter of dialogue and diplomacy in international efforts to curb and monitor Iran’s nuclear programme.
The 2015 agreement has been in peril ever since the United States abandoned it last year. Iran has followed suit in recent weeks by stopping the implementation of key provisions of the pact.
The Vienna envoys of the United States and Iran expressed their condolences on Monday.
“Much of Amano’s life was dedicated to international peace,security, and development,” US Ambassador Jackie Wolcott said. He was “an effective leader, diplomat, and true gentleman,” she added.
Wolcott’s Iranian counterpart Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on Twitter that “this is indeed a great loss for the international community.” EU chief diplomat Federica Mogherini remembered Amano as a “man of extraordinary dedication and professionalism, always at the service of the global community in the most impartial way.” “It has been for me a great pleasure and privilege working with him,” said Mogherini, who played a key role in negotiating the Iran deal along with foreign ministers of major powers. Amano also steered the IAEA through the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima power plant, which triggered international efforts to upgrade safety measures at nuclear installations.
In 2017, IAEA member countries confirmed Amano for a third term in office that was set to last until December 2021.
“I am very proud of our achievements, and grateful to member states and agency staff,” he had planned to write in his formal resignation letter, his office said.
— dpa
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