VIENNA: Japan’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Monday that his candidacy for the top job at the UN nuclear watchdog enjoyed “strong” support from member countries, insisting he was not simply a candidate for the West.

“I have good support. I have support across the group, across the world,” Ambassador Yukiya Amano told reporters after a one-day meeting of the IAEA’s 35-member board here. Asked whether he had support from countries on each continent, Amano replied: “Almost.” “I am not the candidate of the western group. By no means,” he insisted.

The IAEA’s board of governors met here Monday to discuss resolutions and decisions taken at the agency’s general conference last week, as well as formally to fire the starting gun in the race for a successor to Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, who steps down in November 2009.

Two candidates have officially stepped forward so far, Japanese envoy Amano, 61, and South African ambassador Abdul Samad Minty, 68. Under the rules of procedure approved by governors at Monday’s meeting, the official closing date for nominations is Dec 31, 2008, with ElBaradei’s successor to be appointed in June 2009 “at the latest”. That appointment will then be put to next year’s general conference for final approval.