Zoellick quizzed on World Bank's future

Jun 20, 2007, 23:49 GMT

Washington - World Bank directors Wednesday quizzed former US deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick on how he plans to lead the development agency, a source close to the talks said.

Zoellick, a career diplomat and former US trade negotiator, met with the bank's 24-member board for four hours before a scheduled vote Monday that is expected to confirm him as the next World Bank president.

He is the only candidate to replace Paul Wolfowitz, who helped plan the US-led invasion of Iraq in his previous job at the Pentagon. Wolfowitz is leaving June 30 after an ethics scandal over a promotion he arranged for his girlfriend at the World Bank.

Zoellick and the board discussed his vision for the 185-nation lender, including its independence, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Independence has become an issue because of concern among bank officials and key member countries that Wolfowitz was too closely aligned with the Bush administration in his World Bank job.

US President George W Bush nominated Zoellick on May 30, calling him a 'committed internationalist.' Though Zoellick was close to US neoconservatives during the 1990s, he is widely seen as a more experienced diplomat than Wolfowitz.

His immediate task will be to smooth a trans-Atlantic rift over Wolfowitz and rebuild morale at the World Bank, which lends more than 20 billion dollars in aid money annually. He has pledged to 'put yesterday's discord behind us.'

The US is the World Bank's biggest contributor. Washington traditionally names the bank's head, while a European leads the International Monetary Fund.