US spied on nuclear agency chief

US: The Bush administration has spied on the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, intercepting dozens of his telephone…

US: The Bush administration has spied on the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, intercepting dozens of his telephone calls, the Washington Post claimed yesterday, citing three administration officials.

The admission that US intelligence conducted surveillance on Dr Mohamed ElBaradei seems part of a campaign by the US to force him out at the end of his second term on December 31st.

Many of the calls were with Iranian officials, the Post reported, as the US is trying to build a case against the Egyptian diplomat for lacking impartiality in his dealings with Iran. Earlier this year it was revealed that British intelligence monitored the calls of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The Bush administration has not come up with a candidate to replace Dr ElBaradei, whose removal is strongly advocated by Mr John Bolton, a State Department official with a hawkish reputation.

Both Dr ElBaradei and Mr Annan opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq. Dr ElBaradei is respected internationally for his role as IAEA head, which is responsible for monitoring nuclear activity around the world.