Row over nuclear fuel bank awaits new IAEA chief

Whoever becomes head of the International Atomic Energy Agency later this year will have to tackle a deep political divide over a nuclear fuel supply plan aimed at keeping the world safe from the spread of atomic weapons. The IAEA forecasts that demand for nuclear energy, most visible so far in countries across the conflict-ridden Middle East, will almost double over the next generation as nations seek an alternative to high-polluting and finite fossil fuels. "This is an issue which will increasingly demand the attention of the (IAEA) director-general -- to manage the expansion of nuclear power in ways that provide for confidence," said Mark Fitzpatrick of the Ploughshares-funded International Institute for Strategic Studies.