US News
US seeks hold on World Bank's top job
By Tony Czuczka May 18, 2007, 20:29 GMT
Outgoing World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz speaks to members of the media outside his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S. on 18 May 2007. Wolfowitz and the bank agreed to the terms of his departure yesterday. EPA/MATTHEW CAVANAUGH
Washington - The United States on Friday reaffirmed its claim to naming the next World Bank head after former Pentagon official Paul Wolfowitz agreed to quit, prompting relief in European capitals.
Names of possible candidates were swirling as the bank's board met to discuss the transition until Wolfowitz's June 30 exit - and to lock in an understanding that he has no executive power until then.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said he would move quickly to help President George W Bush find a nominee, though he would consult colleagues around the world.
'Traditionally, the American nominee has become the World Bank president,' White House spokesman Tony Fratto said Friday.
Wolfowitz, 63, agreed Thursday to resign, four days after a panel of World Bank directors accused him of ethics breaches when he arranged a hefty pay increase for his girlfriend at the bank.
A key planner of the Iraq war in his previous job, Wolfowitz gave up as Bush signalled he could no longer defend him in the face of fervent opposition led by US allies in Europe.
However, the face-saving deal to remove Wolfowitz seems to imply that other world powers will back a US nominee to replace him. The United States is the biggest contributor to the bank, which lends more than 20 billion dollars a year to combat poverty and disease.
Speculation on a successor includes outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is stepping down June 27 and met his ally Bush at the White House on Thursday.
'He is one of the people that is clearly being discussed,' Joe Stiglitz, former World Bank chief economist and Nobel laureate, told BBC radio.
Still, the list of candidates 'would probably begin with somebody with real experience in development,' he said.
Other names floated in published reports include former US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick and US Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt. Some White House aides have suggested the US might propose Paulson himself, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Israeli central bank head Stanley Fischer, a former World Bank chief economist and ex-vice chairman of Citigroup Inc, and former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker have also been mentioned.
A bigger task will be to heal rifts inside the Washington-based bank and dissipating anger among the agency's thousands of staffers, many of whom bitterly resented Wolfowitz.
The bank's board largely exonerated Wolfowitz and praised his work in Thursday's carefully negotiated statement announcing his departure.
A critical part of the deal was to avoid his immediate removal so the US could find a replacement. The bank's staff association blasted the arrangement, saying he should leave immediately.
Under an unwritten rule, the United States has named every World Bank president since the institution was founded in 1944 to help Europe and Asia rebuild after World War II. In return, a European has headed the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Eckhard Deutscher, the German among the World Bank's 24 directors, questioned the arrangement, telling reporters the bank's next head 'does not automatically have to be an American.'
'The world has changed. Wouldn't it be desirable for countries like China to have a greater role in multilateral organizations?' he said late Thursday.
But Paulson said in a US television interview he saw no reason to change 'a custom that has served the world well.'
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
I wonder which paid-off lacky will replace this guy. It does not matter where you turn with this administration, they are all corrupt due to the fact that there has been no accountability for 6 years. It is time to impeach the lot of them!
Jack ,
good question ?
Who exactly is at top of the dung-pile??
...better go find a reason. By the way, which body will you go to?
Congress greenlighted the Bush war budget yesterday.
Sure. Impeach him.
'Sure. Impeach him'
I agree, maybe president Cheney will veto this horrible amnesty bill. Other then that business as usual.
There's a rumour going around that Pope Benedict XIV is goig to perform an excorcism to rid George Bush of demons during sometime in July in Rome.
The reason given ,is as follows.
George Bush has claimed he was on a mission from God when he launched the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, according to a senior Palestinian politician in an interview broadcast by the BBC .
Mr Bush revealed the extent of his religious fervour when he met a Palestinian delegation during the Israeli-Palestinian summit at the Egpytian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, four months after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Nabil Shaath, who was Palestinian foreign minister at the time, said: 'President Bush said to all of us: 'I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did.'
Mr Bush went on: 'And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East'. And, by God, I'm gonna do it.'
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian prime minister, who was also part of the delegation at Sharm el-Sheikh, that Bush said: 'I have a moral and religious obligation. I must get you a Palestinian state.
just remember this.
all politians are lieing cocksuckers
You could also give your girfriend a huge pay-rise.
George Bush has always described himself as a 'WAR PRESIDENT'
ER...
Says it all dosn't it?
Plonker.
i have to admit i like bush...but yeesh after a while failure seems to follow him. personally bush is a likable guy....but as a leader....yeesh...too many yes men keep giving him too many yes answers......we need some no men at the top(oh oh....me thinks i have left of the women folk, sorry girls). mr. president you have to know when to fold em....irag is 7 2 and you dont bet all in when the flop in is AAK......your suck it up and admit failure, cause we are all human(well except any fanatic who believes that they are right or wrong)
President Cheney? Good God I hope you're joking. These people have to go. Bush, Cheney, Gonzales, Rice, and on and on and on.... Those of you (28%) - have been made fools of. I love watching the Republican party crumble.
Let us not forget the culprit in this corruption case .THe reason why european countries and last but not least the staff at the World Bank were disgusted with Wolfowitz is his lack of capabilities and leadership.This guy fluked his previous mission,had no experience of banking or administrating a international organization.He came ito the world bank bringing in his cronies,with his own agenda,was biased towards some underdevelopped countries which were critical of some american policies,shortcircuited the established communication channels,never listened to his staff,antagonizing and terrorising them and semed to care only for his own agenda.One the points on this agenda was to make the world community pay for the fiasco in Iraq which was the result of his own incompetence during his previous failure.
In short he was trying to turn the bank into an instrument of american policies .the USA pays about 16 percent of subsidies and has traditionaly presented the bank with his president.BUt here in Europe we think that as we pay for the bulk of contributions we also have a voice .People here are very suspicious of the Bush administration which has sabotaged the UN when it could not be turned into the extention of american neocon policies,used the world bank to apply the neocon agenda,etc.
Very soon the World Bank will be adrssing the consequences of global warming ,trying to curtail the most dramatic consequences of it .With Wolfowitz at the helm that would have been a catastrophic disaster for the world as the Bush administration is utterly incapable to understand or act in this matter .
It leaves me with a bitter aftertaste to hear Bush say that Wolfowitz is a great leader,etc,etc?The man was a hypocrit and an idiot.Good riddance.
The problem with most american 'leaders' is that they have been elected on the basis of their wealth, often inherited, rather than any ability, and have been educated in the narrow american ethos of 'he who shouts loudest - wins'
When they are pitched into a World environment, they flounder because they have no experience of dealing with varying cultures, business methods and the art of diplomacy
Hence the abject failure of american foreign policy for as long as one can remember. American leaders have little expereience in anything beyond the role of school bully, and when they emerge from their tiny backyard into the wider world they have absolutely nothing to offer.
They can't even debate coherently - remember the performance of British MP George Galloway, when he was hauled before some senate committee or other. He made absolute mincemeat of his american questioner, who appeared totally amazed that someone should answer back - typical reaction of a mindless bully to someone standing up to him. Yet George was doing nothing more than follow the normal debateing exchanges found everyday in theEuropean parliaments, whereas the americans lead such a sanitised political system that no one ever argues
impeach bush then that leaves cheney in charge?
like jumping from the pan to the fire
Why stop at impeaching Bush - Cheney, and probably others as well, are all guilty. The american government as a whole is like chimps at a tea party
Tonny 'poodle' Blair will serve to please his master, President 'neo-con' Bush. The world poor will see another saga of Bushifyte, more controversy, more savage.
World Bank is a joke.
It states the President must be an American.
It states the Managing Director must be an European.
The CV needed for these posts are simple. Just state your nationality, nothing else is needed.
What a joke.
The entire concept of the World Bank is corrupt and nothing but a Socialist-Communist class hating subversive useless funnel to corrupt dictators all over the world. The recepients of this blackmailing line their own pockets while their citizens starve. That's why even though many of the countries are 5-6 times older than the USA, they are called 'developing'? nations. Just what in Hell are they developing if the haven't even been able to feed themselves and provide water and sanitation.
Of course America must name the leader of this Politically Correct bunch of leeches...we put the most of our taxpayers $$ in.anyone else want to run it?.put your money where your big mouth is. You think President bush is not what you want in charge?? run against him...no one worthy of taking his place has shown his face so far. Dream on loudmouths..someday you may be big enough to run things.
Should we have started the war in Iraq..NO..!!! should we use our military might to nuke them and kill them all NO!! Show me any other country on the globe that would get their ass in such a jam and not resort to a wipe out with the strength we have. You should kiss America's ass .Any other power with our strength would rule all of you and you know it. God bless America and George Bush.
An earlier poster stated his affection for G.W. Bush, I like him as well, He has done more to destroy the US in 6 years than any one could possibly have imagined, all good news.
Unfortunately the consequences of his latent stupidity has fallen largely on the Iraqis and Palestinians, The American people have not been served well by this arrogant stupid person, racism, poverty, destroyed future, rich getting richer, a weaker nation, debts for the unborn, anti- science etc.etc are his real legacy..
The one positive contributions he has made is to expose the lunacy of people who communicate with 'God'.
Roneida - are you sure about your illusory 'god' blessing america - he/she doesn't seem to do very much for you. Perhaps he/she has looked at what he/she has created (according to you)and thinks its time to scrape it into the trash bin
im 63 and retired .but lately i look at america as a total shit hole
with all the corupption .don't want to feel this way but it looks you in the face every day
page: 1
CynicMay 18th, 2007 - 22:49:24
Perhaps this Nemesis will be one, Tony 'Poodle' Blair....for services rendered to George Bush
(the worst President ,ever.)
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