U.S. to Back IAEA Chief

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration said Thursday that it was prepared to support a third term for International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, reversing a call for him to step down.

ElBaradei, who has run the IAEA since 1997, is now likely to be unanimously approved by the 35 member nations at a board meeting that starts Monday.

Differences over Iran and Iraq, where ElBaradei supported extended weapons inspections, were behind a U.S. push in December for ElBaradei to leave the post when his current term ends this summer.

U.S. officials said Washington had changed course because it had been unable to erode other nations' support for ElBaradei.