The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, won the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and to ensure safe civilian use of nuclear energy, the Nobel committee announced in Norway's capital Oslo on Friday.

"Everyone who has contributed to the IAEA has a part in this important prize," the Nobel Committee said in its citation, adding that the UN nuclear agency's work is "of incalculable importance."

The committee recognized "their efforts ... to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way," the citation said.

ElBaradei, 63, and the IAEA had been among favorites for the prestigious award and won from a record field of 199 candidates ranging from presidents to Irish rock star Bono.

The prize, named after Sweden's Alfred Nobel, a philanthropist and inventor of dynamite, includes US$1.3 million, a gold medal and a diploma. ElBaradei and the IAEA will share the award when they receive it on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896, in the Norwegian capital.

ElBaradei was the second Egyptian winner of the peace prize after former president Anwar Sadat in 1978. The 2004 prize went to an African, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2005)