Hans Blix | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1st Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission | |
| In office 1 March 2000 – 30 June 2003 | |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Dimitris Perrikos |
| 3rd Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency | |
| In office 1981 – 1 December 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Sigvard Eklund |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed ElBaradei |
| Minister for Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 18 October 1978 – 12 October 1979 | |
| Prime Minister | Ola Ullsten |
| Preceded by | Karin Söder |
| Succeeded by | Ola Ullsten |
| President, World Federation of United Nations Associations | |
| In office 2006 – 11 August 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Rhyl Jansen |
| Succeeded by | Park Soo-gil |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hans Martin Blix 28 June 1928 Uppsala, Sweden |
| Political party | Liberal People's Party |
Hans Martin Blix (Swedish: [hɑːns ˈblɪks] ; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As such, Blix was the first Western representative to inspect the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union on-site and led the agency's response to them. Blix was also the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission from March 2000 to June 2003, when he was succeeded by Dimitris Perrikos. In 2002, the commission began searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, ultimately finding none. On 17 March 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush delivered an address from the White House announcing that within 48 hours, the United States would invade Iraq unless Saddam Hussein would leave. Bush then ordered all of the weapons inspectors, including Blix's team, to leave Iraq so that America and its allies could invade Iraq on 20 March. In February 2010, Blix became head of the United Arab Emirates' advisory board for its nuclear power program. He is the former president of the World Federation of United Nations Associations.