Wolfowitz For
World Bank President
By Adam Entous
17 March, 2005
Reuters
WASHINGTON -
President Bush on Wednesday selected Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz,
a magnet for controversy as one of the leading architects of the Iraq
war, as his choice for World Bank president.
The decision threatened
to set off a bitter fight on the World Bank board, which must sign off
on Washington's choice, at a time when Bush has said improving trans-Atlantic
relations and America's image in the Arab world will be a top priority.
Bush sought to head
off any backlash over his selection, calling Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi and other world leaders to make the case that Wolfowitz
would be a "strong" leader of the international agency. The
bank provides billions of dollars in loans in the developing world with
the goal of fighting poverty.
At a White House
news conference Bush described Wolfowitz as "a compassionate, decent
man" with "good experience" in managing large organizations,
citing his role at the Pentagon, and as "a skilled diplomat"
who is committed to global development.
Wolfowitz could
prove a hard sell for Bush, especially since his selection follows closely
on the nomination of another leading administration hawk, John Bolton,
to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
European sources
said Wolfowitz's name was circulated informally among board directors
several weeks ago and was rejected. "Mr. Wolfowitz's nomination
today tells us the U.S. couldn't care less what the rest of the world
thinks," one source said.
French Foreign Minister
Michel Barnier suggested other candidates could be considered. "It's
a proposal. We shall examine it in context of the personality of the
person you mention and perhaps in view of other candidates."
Wolfowitz would
replace outgoing World Bank chief James Wolfensohn, who said earlier
this month that Wolfowitz was no longer in the running for the top job
after a Pentagon official suggested he wanted to stay at the Defense
Department.
IRAQ WAR HAWK
The U.S. Treasury
Department has said it wants a new president in place before Wolfensohn
departs in June after 10 years in the post.
By tradition, the
United States selects the World Bank president while Europeans nominate
a head of the International Monetary Fund.
"The executive
directors of the board who are charged under the bank's articles of
agreement with the selection of the bank's president are in the process
of consultations with the member countries they represent," a World
Bank statement said.
Wolfowitz is a deeply
controversial figure in Europe because of his role in designing and
promoting the Iraq war.
He has also been
a frequent target of criticism from congressional Democrats for what
they called his "rosy" assessments of military operations
and reconstruction in Iraq.
Wolfensohn, who
earlier this month appeared to make light of Wolfowitz's prospects for
the World Bank job, described Bush's choice on Wednesday as a "a
person of high intellect, integrity and broad experience in both the
public and private sectors."
IMF chief Rodrigo
Rato said he looked forward to working with Wolfowitz and praised his
"impressive record" and experience in world affairs, particularly
in Asia and the Middle East.
British Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw called Wolfowitz "very distinguished and experienced
internationally." "If his appointment is confirmed we look
forward to working with him.
Several international
groups including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and ActionAid called
Wolfowitz a bad choice. Greenpeace expressed concern that Wolfowitz
would "put U.S. and oil industry interests" ahead of development.
Wolfensohn, an Australian
who became American to take the job, was appointed by President Bill
Clinton. But he frequently clashed with Bush's Treasury Department.
Additional reporting
by Lesley Wroughton
© Reuters 2005
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