Re: Wolfowitz ‘to stay’ at World Bank
On Apr 15, 2007, at 8:26 PM, Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
What surprises me is that the powers that be are willing to sacrifice the international reputation of the Bank to save the position of a Bush cronie. Why?
The FT reports:
A senior European official told the Financial Times that unless the =
White House withdrew its support, European countries were not =
sufficiently united to succeed in an immediate attempt to force Mr =
Wolfowitz=92s removal.
But a series of European ministers voiced sharp public criticism of =
Mr Wolfowitz at the weekend and the affair overshadowed the formal =
agenda of IMF and World Bank spring meetings.
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, Germany=92s development minister, said Mr =
Wolfowitz had to decide =93whether he still has the credibility to =
represent the position of the World Bank=94.
Hilary Benn, the UK development minister, said =93this whole business =
has damaged the bank and should not have happened=94.
Europe=92s position was not united, according to the European =
official. Germany and the UK were leading the fight against Mr =
Wolfowitz, with France holding back for tactical reasons and Spain =
willing to sit on the sidelines.
The White House has twice declared its backing for the bank =
president and several African leaders stood up in support. =
Antoinette Sayeh, finance minister of Liberia and a former World =
Bank official, reflected the African stance, praising Mr =
Wolfowitz=92s =93visionary leadership=94.