| Submit your comments on this article | |
| International-UN-NGOs | |
| Wolfie To Meet With EU Officials Ahead Of World Bank Vote | |
| 2005-03-30 | |
| World Bank president nominee Paul Wolfowitz will discuss his agenda and development ideas with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, current president of the European Union, and other EU officials on Wednesday, diplomats said. The talks at EU headquarters in Brussels could also include World Bank governors and some EU finance or development ministers, a diplomat said Tuesday on condition of anonymity. President Bush's nomination of Deputy Defense Secretary Wolfowitz, an architect of the Iraq war, has drawn criticism, especially from some international aid and other groups. They question his development credentials and worry that he would try to use the bank to help the United States' friends and punish its enemies. The 184-nation World Bank's stated mission is to fight poverty and improve the living standards of people in developing countries. The nomination has generated little enthusiasm in European capitals. Nevertheless, Germany, Britain and Italy already have backed him publicly. EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel originally had invited Wolfowitz to Brussels to discuss his vision of development policy at the World Bank. Officials said Michel would not be at Wednesday's talks, though, because he was on an official trip in the Caribbean. The EU could make their backing for Wolfowitz conditional on his having a European deputy, possibly Jean-Pierre Jouyet, chairman of the Paris Club of creditor nations. The bank's 24-member board meets Thursday to vote on Wolfowitz's nomination. The United States, as the bank's largest shareholder, traditionally puts forward a candidate to lead the bank, which the board usually accepts. This could be interesting... UPDATE: Paul Wolfowitz, the US nominee to head the World Bank, received broad endorsement on Wednesday from European Union ministers and senior officials after promising to keep the institution "truly multinational.'' Arriving in Brussels, Mr Wolfowitz was eager to present his vision for the World Bank ahead of the board's vote on Thursday to appoint a successor to James Wolfensohn. Mr Wolfowitz emphasised his commitment in the fight against poverty, praised the EU's efforts in development and pledged strong EU representation at the bank and regular dialogue with Brussels. After a two hour meeting with Mr Wolfowitz, Agnes van Aardenne, the Dutch development minister, said: "We have seen that he is very much committed to the mission of the World Bank as a multilateral institution and this removes a lot of our concerns.'' Her views were echoed by other EU ministers, who said they shared in the optimism that Mr Wolfowitz, one of the architects of the invasion of Iraq, would be able to distance himself from the US administration once in his new job.
| |
| Posted by:.com |
| #1 Jon Stewart snickered about this nomination last night on the Daily Show. But one of the other guys pointed out that Bush (exact quote here, ok?) "...has huge balls." The follow-up to the gag is that with each of these maverick Bush appointments, his testicles grow even larger. I thought it an interesting point for that show to make. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-30 7:15:48 AM |