The International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, said Tuesday it had asked a group of 18 top experts to assess the future challenges facing the U.N. atomic watchdog as more countries pursue nuclear technology.
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei had asked a high-level panel of experts, called the 'Commission of Eminent Persons,' to "make recommendations on ways in which the agency can prepare to meet its expanding workload," the IAEA said in a statement.
The commission, holding its initial meetings at the IAEA's headquarters in Vienna Monday and Tuesday, is being chaired by former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo and comprised "18 senior international figures," the statement said.
They included former Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, former U.S. senator Sam Nunn and the head of French energy giant Areva SA (CEI.FR), Anne Lauvergeon.
ElBaradei said the commission's findings were intended to stimulate further discussion about the future of the agency and how best it can contribute to efforts by the international community to achieve "development, peace and security."