Unlikely.... Prime Minister Tony Blair is a 25-1 outsider to be the next president of the World Bank, according to the latest odds from Ladbrokes.
But the 4-5 favourite to take over the leadership of the organisation in the wake of Paul Wolfowitz's resignation is Ashraf Ghani, who is currently chancellor of Kabul University and was the Afghan finance minister following the Taliban's overthrow in 2002. advertisement Robert Zoellick, the US deputy secretary of state, is 7-2 second-favourite, followed by fellow US government official Robert Kimmitt, the deputy treasury secretary, at 5-1. Mr Wolfowitz, the Bank's current president, said last night that he would resign at the end of June after a bitter row involving the promotion of his girlfriend. Mr Blair, who steps down as Prime Minister on June 27, is in the frame for the high profile role, according to Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel prize-winning economist and a former chief economist at the World Bank. He told BBC Radio Five Live that: "He is one of the people that is clearly being discussed. Blair has clearly been a political leader that has had the kinds of connections that one needs; that would be useful as head of the institution." But Mr Stiglitz said that it would be better for the World Bank to appoint an economist rather than a political figurehead. "I think it would be good for the institution at this juncture if they had somebody who was an economist who really understood what development entailed and could work closely with the staff that has been very alienated by Paul Wolfowitz over the last two years and bring together the institution," he said The World Bank, which provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world, has never had a non-American president before. But Mr Ghani, who was a key figure in helping to repair the Afghan economy after the Taliban were thrown out of power, is said to be to be high up on a list of possible replacements for Mr Wolfowitz drawn up by officials at the White House. He was a candidate to replace Kofi Annan as secretary-general of the United Nations last year and worked as a special adviser for the World Bank between 1991 and 2002. Other possible candidates include Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian finance minister who would be the first woman to lead the World Bank, and John Bolton, the controversial former US ambassador to the UN. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Robert Calco Sent: 18 May 2007 12:29 To: ProFox Email List Subject: Re: [OT] Ending Battle, Wolfowitz Resigns From World Bank Maybe the truth is rather more complicated, Leland: <http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110010050> - Bob On May 18, 2007, at 1:18 AM, Leland F. Jackson, CPA wrote: > Paul Wolfowitz left the Bush Administration in 2005, as a high ranking > official in the Pentagon and architects ot the Iraq war, to take over > leadership of the World Bank. Wolfowitz leadership role with the > World > Bank didn't work out, either. It will be interesting to see who > President Bush selects to become the new head of the World Bank, or > even > if President Bush's nomination will be consider or approved. From > reading the article, it seem to me the US has lost a lot of clout with > the rest of the world over the past 6 years. > > #------------------------------------------ > > > Ending Battle, Wolfowitz Resigns From World Bank > > By Peter S. Goodman > <http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/peter+s.+goodman/> > Washington Post Staff Writer > Friday, May 18, 2007; Page A01 > > World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Paul > +Wolfowitz?tid=informline> > resigned yesterday, effective June 30, yielding to demands from > governments around the world that he leave to end the ethics > controversy > that has consumed the institution. > > Wolfowitz's resignation, negotiated in recent days with the bank's > executive board, closed the leadership crisis that has essentially > paralyzed the institution for almost two months. It preempted what had > been a growing likelihood that the board would reprimand or fire him > after a committee report found that he broke ethics rules in > awarding a > substantial raise to his girlfriend. > > Wolfowitz and his attorney, Robert S. Bennett > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Robert+S. > +Bennett?tid=informline>, > extracted a measure of the exoneration they had demanded before he > would > resign. In a statement released last night, the board conceded that "a > number of mistakes were made by a number of individuals in handling > the > matter under consideration," and the bank would need to improve its > ethical procedures. The board declared that Wolfowitz "assured us that > he acted ethically and in good faith in what he believed were the best > interests of the institution, and we accept that." > > The statement added: "We are grateful to Mr. Wolfowitz for his service > at the bank. Much has been achieved in the last two years." > > That language was agreed upon only after fractious debate among board > members, with some, particularly European representatives, dismayed > that > it appeared to hand Wolfowitz a victory. In the end, however, they > swallowed the language as the price of getting Wolfowitz to quit. > > Wolfowitz has argued that he sought to resolve an obvious conflict of > interest by transferring his longtime companion, Shaha Riza > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Shaha > +Riza?tid=informline>, > to another job at the State Department > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/U.S. > +Department+of+State?tid=informline> > so that he could avoid supervising her, while increasing her pay as > compensation for the career disruption. > > Staff members described a celebratory mood inside the World Bank > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/The+World > +Bank+Group?tid=informline>'s > headquarters near the White House > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/The+White > +House?tid=informline>, > with people embracing, singing songs and hoisting flutes of Champagne. > > The ethics scandal that ultimately brought down Wolfowitz was > merely the > latest in a long list of his infractions in the eyes of many staff > members, who accused Wolfowitz of insulating himself behind tyrannical > aides, disregarding the counsel of veteran bank officers and > running the > bank as an adjunct of the Bush administration. > > The news that Wolfowitz was leaving, however, did not fully heal the > international rifts that have emerged with the leadership crisis. His > exit set off a new struggle to determine who will run the bank between > now and his official departure date at the end of June. > > According to bank and Bush administration sources briefed on the > negotiations, the White House on Wednesday demanded that Wolfowitz be > allowed to stay for three months, fearing that otherwise an acting > president would be put in place from within the bank. That could > threaten the traditional American prerogative to select the head of > the > institution. > > "They don't want to lose control," a bank official said. > > Most of the board, and particularly the Europeans, wanted Wolfowitz to > leave immediately, asserting that he has lost the trust of the staff. > The administration ultimately settled for a compromise, the June 30 > departure date, fearing that otherwise a caretaker president might be > inserted by the board over American wishes. > > In rushing to secure Wolfowitz's resignation by last night, the board > deferred the nettlesome question of what happens in the interim, a > subject it plans to take up today. > > Under a tradition dating to the creation of the World Bank in the > 1940s, > the U.S. > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/United > +States?tid=informline> > president nominates its head, even though that rule is contained > nowhere > in the bank's governing statutes. Under the same unwritten agreement, > Europe > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Europe? > tid=informline> > gets to pick the head of the bank's affiliate institution, the > International Monetary Fund > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/ > International+Monetary+Fund?tid=informline>. > For years, reformers have questioned this system, asserting that the > heads of such important global institutions should be selected on > merit. > Many academics and pressure groups are demanding that the end of > Wolfowitz mark the beginning of a new selection procedure. > > With its chosen head of the bank forced out by an ethics scandal, the > Bush administration moved yesterday to reassert the traditional U.S. > role, with Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Henry+M. > +Paulson?tid=informline> > Jr. declaring he would "move quickly to help the president identify a > nominee to lead the World Bank going forward." > > But several senior bank officials said last night that the institution > requires an acting president until a new president is in place, > dismissing out of hand the suggestion that Wolfowitz could continue to > come to work as usual. > > "He will be treated like a leper," said an official, who requested > anonymity so as to speak candidly. "No one, certainly not heads of > agencies, are going to want to meet with him. He instantly becomes > irrelevant to the bank from this point on." > > A bank official briefed by board members said the board would today > issue a second statement asserting that Wolfowitz is immediately > barred > from making personnel and policy decisions, assuaging the fears of > some > that he might otherwise fire those who have rallied against him. > But in > a nod to the interests of the Bush administration, the board will > assert > that Wolfowitz is to stay on officially in his post and will not go on > administrative leave, as many staff members had hoped. > > In recent weeks, as the investigating committee heard testimony from > bank officials, as staff openly campaigned for his ouster, and as > political leaders from Berlin > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Berlin? > tid=informline> > to Johannesburg > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/ > Johannesburg?tid=informline> > called for his exit, Wolfowitz resolutely insisted he would stay. He > dismissed the movement against him as a "smear campaign." > > This week, with the release of a scathing investigating committee > report > and a strident chorus of calls for his departure, it became clear that > Wolfowitz was fighting a battle that could not be won. > > European governments were inclined strongly against a decisive vote to > fire him, which would have risked an open conflict with the Bush > administration. Wolfowitz and his lawyer understood that and > factored it > into their strategy, at one point on Wednesday daring the board to > vote > to oust him. That gambit appears to have helped secure the exonerating > language. > > Until this week, the White House had been resolute in supporting > Wolfowitz, who was a primary architect of the Iraq > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Iraq? > tid=informline> > war at the Pentagon > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/The > +Pentagon?tid=informline> > before President Bush > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/George+W. > +Bush?tid=informline> > appointed him to head the World Bank in 2005. > > Administration officials, in particular Vice President Cheney > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Dick > +Cheney?tid=informline>, > saw the campaign to oust him as a European power play fueled by bitter > feelings about Iraq, and as a broader proxy battle against American > influence, senior administration officials said. > > But as Paulson tried in vain this week to persuade fellow finance > ministers to support Wolfowitz, the White House came to recognize that > he could not be saved. > > "I regret that it's come to this," Bush said yesterday morning at a > news > conference with outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair > <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/related-topics.html/Tony > +Blair?tid=informline>. > "I believe all parties in this matter have acted in good faith." > > http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/17/ > AR2007051700216.html?referrer=email > > or > > http://tinyurl.com/2ne42f > > #------------------------------------------ > > Regards, > > LelandJ > > [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: ProFox@leafe.com Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[EMAIL PROTECTED] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. 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