The veteran official who has overseen UN nuclear inspections in Iran has been removed from his post nine months after Tehran banned him from entering the country, a diplomat said today.
Chris Charlier, a Belgian in charge of the Iran dossier at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will be switched to IAEA section head for Brazil and Argentina from April 1st, said the diplomat.
Iran was given UN sanctions in December for refusing to stop enriching uranium for nuclear fuel and impeding IAEA inquiries. It had written the IAEA last month demanding Mr Charlier's ouster.
The diplomat said IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei had decided to take Mr Charlier off the Iran file not to appease Iran but because the Iranian ban had handicapped his ability to perform his job.
He dismissed Iranian allegations that Mr Charlier was biased against Tehran and had passed confidential data about Iranian nuclear sites to Western powers arrayed against Tehran.
"But there was no magic solution. Iran will not give Charlier a visa. Being unable to go into Iran, he could not do the job effectively enough. Charlier was told of the decision last week," the diplomat said.
Mr Charlier, with 25 years experience in the IAEA, is to be replaced as Iran section head by another inspector of similar seniority.