Vienna - International Atomic Energy Egency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Friday that US President Barack Obama deserved to win the Nobel Prize for Peace because he had rekindled hope for world peace and had taken the lead on nuclear non-proliferation. ElBaradei won the prize himself in 2005 jointly with the Vienna-based IAEA.
"I cannot think of anyone today more deserving of this honour," said Elbaradei, adding he was "absolutely delighted."
"In less than a year in office, he has transformed the way we look at ourselves and the world we live in and rekindled hope for a world at peace with itself," the Egyptian IAEA director general said.
ElBaradei commended Obama on his "unshakeable commitment to diplomacy, mutual respect and dialogue as the best means of resolving conflicts."
Breaking with the policy of his predecessor George W Bush, Obama has started to engage directly with Iran in the standoff over its contentious nuclear programme.
The president reverted the past US stance by vowing to ratify the international treaty banning nuclear tests and to work towards global nuclear disarmament.
"President Obama has provided outstanding leadership on moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons," ElBaradei said.
When ElBaradei received the prize in 2005, the decision was widely seen as supporting his view that diplomacy rather than military force or sanctions should be used to solve conflicts with countries such as Iraq and Iran.
