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| Another Wolfowitz followup |
Itsdb |
03/31/05 |
Wolfowitz set for World Bank nod
Thursday, March 31, 2005 Posted: 1011 GMT (1811 HKT)
Bush says Wolfowitz has "good experience" to lead the World Bank.
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The World Bank board is expected to approve Paul Wolfowitz as its leader one day after the deputy defense secretary received the support of the European Union.
Wolfowitz met with EU officials Wednesday in Brussels, where they decided to back him as president despite reservations about the unillaterist goals they associate with the White House.
"There are no objections of EU countries" to Wolfowitz, Belgian Development Aid minister Armand De Decker told The Associated Press after the meeting.
In an unusual move, EU officials had asked one of the Bush administration's most hawkish figures to come to Europe to deliver his views on development issues after his nomination sparked controversy around the world's capitals.
Many leaders said they had trouble reconciling Wolfowitz's role in the Iraq war with the needs of the developing world, and described him as having a reputation for unilateralism and lack of development experience.
They also questioned his credentials and management style.
But after hearing him speak, European Commissioner Olli Rehn said he "was satisfied with everything he heard from Mr Wolfowitz concerning free trade and also on poverty reduction and development policy," a Commission spokeswoman told a news conference.
The 184-nation World Bank board is due to choose a successor to veteran president James Wolfensohn on Thursday in Washington, after U.S. President George W. Bush nominated him for the top post.
The 61-year-old Wolfowitz, who was the main architect of the war in Iraq, was keen to appease the EU after meeting with development and finance ministers in Brussels.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Wolfowitz defended himself as a man committed to helping the world's poor, saying he believed deeply in the work of the Washington-based bank.
"Helping people lift themselves out of poverty is truly a noble mission," the former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia said.
Before Wednesday, only Germany, Britain and Italy had publicly backed him.
Wolfowitz appeared at Wednesday's news conference with Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, whose country holds the EU presidency.
Asked whether he understood that his reputation as a neo-conservative worried some members of the EU, Wolfowitz replied: "Of course I do."
"I hope as people get to know me better that I really do believe deeply in the mission of the bank," he said.
"It's important to emphasize that President Bush believes deeply in the mission of the bank ... he believes deeply in poverty reduction," he added.
The World Bank's mission is to fight poverty and boost the living standards of people living in poor nations.
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So what's going on here? Why does Europe keep having these changes of heart toward the Bush administration? It was only last week that Le Monde called his nomination a "new manifestation of America's arrogance."
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