Pakistan elected to IAEA Board of Governors

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 -- Pakistan was elected Friday to the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against the regional seat reserved for the Middle East and South Asia (MESA) region, according to the Foreign Office of Pakistan.

Pakistan was the consensus candidate of MESA at the 53rd regular session of the IAEA General Conference which is underway in Vienna on Sept. 14-18, said Abdul Basit, the Foreign Office spokesman.

Pakistan will now commence its 17th two-year term on the IAEA Board. Pakistan's election to the Board of Governors is a recognition of its long standing commitment to the aims and objectives of the IAEA, Basit said.

"It has pursued peaceful uses of nuclear technology, in particular nuclear power generation. Pakistan has traditionally played an active role in the Agency," he said.

During this term Pakistan will work closely with the agency and fellow member states for further development of peaceful nuclear energy at the national, regional and international levels, the spokesman said.