YNET NEWS: After ending term as International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Mohamed ElBaradei returns to homeland to 'do everything I can for Egypt to advance toward democracy'
Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, is awaited in Cairo as police warn his supporters not to mark the homecoming of a would-be electoral challenger to President Hosni Mubarak.
ElBaradei, who is expected to fly home on Friday, has repeatedly called for democratic change in Egypt since stepping down as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in November.
On the eve of his return, he reaffirmed his determination to "do everything I can for Egypt to advance toward democracy and economic and social progress."
"I hope to be an instrument for change," the 67-year-old long-time international civil servant said in an interview with Egypt's Dream TV.
"I am ready to throw myself into Egyptian political life on the condition that there are free elections, and the first step toward that would be a constitutional amendment under which I can be a candidate and others as well."Mubarak, 81, will complete his fifth term in office next year and his son, Gamal, is often cited as his potential successor.
At the moment, the constitution effectively bars an ElBaradei candidacy. >>> AFP | Friday, February 19, 2010
