<p>Amano officially notified the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency of his choice for four new deputy director generals at the traditional September meeting which began in Vienna today.<br /><br />And while the IAEA refused to officially confirm the nominations until the contracts had been signed, diplomats attending the closed-door session said 59-year-old Nackaerts was picked for the all-important position of head of safeguards.<br /><br />The safeguards department is responsible for verifying that countries' nuclear activities are exclusively peaceful and not diverted for military purposes.<br />Heinonen, 63, stepped down at the end of August after five years on the job and nearly 30 years in the agency.<br /><br />Nackaerts joined the IAEA in 2006, when he was appointed Heinonen's deputy. Prior to that, he was head of safeguards inspections at the European Commission.</p>
<p>Amano officially notified the 35-member board of the International Atomic Energy Agency of his choice for four new deputy director generals at the traditional September meeting which began in Vienna today.<br /><br />And while the IAEA refused to officially confirm the nominations until the contracts had been signed, diplomats attending the closed-door session said 59-year-old Nackaerts was picked for the all-important position of head of safeguards.<br /><br />The safeguards department is responsible for verifying that countries' nuclear activities are exclusively peaceful and not diverted for military purposes.<br />Heinonen, 63, stepped down at the end of August after five years on the job and nearly 30 years in the agency.<br /><br />Nackaerts joined the IAEA in 2006, when he was appointed Heinonen's deputy. Prior to that, he was head of safeguards inspections at the European Commission.</p>