Slovenia on Thursday proposed former ambassador and constitutional court judge Ernest Petric as a candidate to head the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"The government is convinced that the candidate, with his personal qualities, diplomatic and leadership experiences and excellent knowledge of the IAEA …will be able to head the agency in a professional and efficient way," it said.
The Vienna-based body invited member states last month to submit new nominations for the post of director general by April 27, after its board failed to agree on a candidate to succeed Mohamed ElBaradei.
Petric, aged 72, served as Slovenia's ambassador to Austria and was chairman of the IAEA's board of governors in 2006-2007.
He has also served as Slovenia's permanent representative to the UN in New York and to the IAEA and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.
He is currently a constitutional court judge.
