A Bush administration campaign to replace the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has faltered after all 15 countries approached by US diplomats, including Britain, Canada and Australia, refused to support the plan, the Washington Post said in a report on Saturday.

The White House has hoped at lease one of the above-mentioned English-speaking allies would agree to block Mohamed El Baradei from a third term as director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

However, with the United States proposing no other candidate, no country was willing to turn against ElBaradei, who is admired within the agency for his willingness to challenge the Bush administration's assertions on Iraq and Iran, the report said.

"It is on hold right now. Everyone turned us down, even the Brits," the report quoted one US policymaker who was involved in lobbying against ElBaradei as saying, adding that a British official has confirmed that account.

US diplomats have tried to coax several people into challengingElBaradei, including Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer,but no one was willing to run against the 62-year-old Egyptian diplomat who was asked by a majority of IAEA board members to stay on the job for five more years, the report said.

The US effort, primarily driven by John Bolton, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, may collapse altogether if Bolton leave the State Department in coming weeks as expected, the report said, citing USofficials.

Source: Xinhua