PARIS, Oct. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Friday hailed the winning of the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

    "I'm happy to see the Nobel Peace Prize to go to the IAEA and its director general, Mr. ElBaradei, who has for a long time, and through the current difficult period, made a decisive contribution to the search for peace," Chirac said at a joint news conference with Blair in Paris.

    Blair, who is in Paris for talks with Chirac, said the prize showed "very clearly the work for peace and security in the world"made by the UN nuclear watchdog.

    The 2005 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the IAEA and its Egyptian head ElBaradei on Friday for their efforts against nuclear weapons proliferation, the Nobel committee announced in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

    The prize went to the two "for their efforts ... to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way," according to the committee. Enditem