Vienna, Sep 14 (DPA) The International Atomic Energy Agency's next head Yukiya Amano Monday stressed that the IAEA must balance its dual role in nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear energy.

'Merely being a 'nuclear watchdog' does not suffice,' the Japanese diplomat said at the annual IAEA general conference shortly after he was appointed to succeed Mohamed ElBaradei from December.

The meeting of all IAEA member states unanimously approved Amano, who in June had narrowly won the majority at the agency's governing board after a protracted election process.

'The spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear terrorism is an increasing threat for the international community,' owing to the ease with which technology advances and knowledge spreads, Amano said.

The 62-year-old diplomat who until recently served as ambassador to the IAEA called on countries to fully cooperate with the IAEA's inspection regime.

'Having conducted inspection activities for over six years, the IAEA has not yet come to the conclusion whether the activities of Iran has been and is exclusively for a peaceful purpose,' Amano told reporters.

But Amano made clear he also intended to focus on promoting the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the fields of electricity, medicine, food production and other areas.

'Nuclear power generation can be an option to meet the increasing needs of energy without emitting significant amounts of green house gas,' he said.