Wolfowitz looks to ease EU concerns
EU officials appear ready to accept Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank after talks today in which the architect of the Iraq war tried to soothe concerns about his reputation as a unilateralist.
Wolfowitz struck a markedly conciliatory public tone after a two-hour session with development and finance ministers at European Union headquarters in Brussels, promising to work closely with European partners and saying he would make fighting poverty his top priority.
Belgian Development Aid minister Armand De Decker afterward said “there are no objections of EU countries” to Wolfowitz.
Wolfowitz, whose nomination is expected to be approved tomorrow, said he was “eager to take on this challenge” of heading the bank.
“Helping people lift themselves out of poverty is truly a noble mission,” said arch hawk Wolfowitz, currently the US deputy defence secretary.
The US, as the Washington-based World Bank’s largest shareholder, traditionally puts forward a candidate to lead the institution and the board usually accepts the nomination.
In an unusual move, EU officials had requested Wolfowitz to present his views on development issues.
With efforts to fight poverty high on the global agenda and aid groups and some governments concerned about his background, Wolfowitz sought to appease his critics.
He said he understood why many Europeans were cool on his nomination and why they were uneasy about him leading one of the world’s premier lending and credit institutions for poor and developing nations.
“I understand that I am, to put it mildly, a controversial figure,” in Europe, Wolfowitz said. “But I hope that as people get to know me better they will understand that I really do believe deeply in the mission of the Bank.”
Of the 24 World Bank directors, five – one each from the United States, Japan, Germany, France and Britain – are directly appointed by their governments. The other 19 are elected by world bank nations and represent groups of countries or regions. Of the 24 directors, 11 are Europeans, including seven from the European Union.
Under a tradition going back to its founding 60 years ago, the World Bank is headed by an American, and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, is headed by a European.
