- The World Bank Thursday named Paul Wolfowitz its next
president despite misgivings about the deputy U.S. defense secretary's
"neoconservative" ideology and enthusiastic promotion of the
war in Iraq.
-
- The World Bank board, which is dominated by the United
States, Europe and Japan, unanimously agreed on the controversial figure
as the successor to James Wolfensohn, 71.
-
- Wolfowitz, 61, a former ambassador to Indonesia and State
Department official, vowed to uphold the bank's "noble mission"
of eradicating poverty when he replaces Wolfensohn on June 1.
-
- But while campaigners kept up a barrage of objections
over his suitability for the post, U.S. President George W. Bush vowed
to work with Wolfowitz.
-
- "The president looks forward to working with president-designate
Wolfowitz and World Bank member countries to advance the fight against
global poverty, promote development and meet the International Development
Goals of the Millennium Declaration," said a White House statement.
-
- Wolfowitz said that debt relief for the poorest nations
was a pressing issue in his new in-tray, along with a September summit
of the United Nations devoted to the so-called Millennium Development Goals.
-
- The UN goals, established in September 2000, aim to slash
global poverty in half by 2015, step up the fight against diseases such
as AIDS and tuberculosis and increase access to education.
-
- Wolfowitz pledged to work closely with European Union
officials, having visited Brussels on Wednesday as part of a charm offensive
to woo governments suspicious about his policy views and role in the war
in Iraq.
-
- Wolfowitz was the sole candidate to serve as president
of the International Monetary Fund's sister institution. By tradition,
an American leads the World Bank and a European the IMF.
-
- Many in Europe and beyond were aghast at the nomination
of a figure whose "neocon" instincts would appear to put him
at odds with the value of multilateral institutions such as the World Bank.
-
- Wolfowitz is accused in addition of vastly underestimating
Iraq's post-war needs through a "neocon" belief that the fruits
of U.S.-imposed liberal economics would be immediate.
-
- But EU nations overcame their objections and France is
now said to be lobbying hard for Wolfowitz to choose a Frenchman as his
deputy.
-
- "As I have said frequently, that mission -- helping
the poorest of the world to lift themselves out of poverty -- is a noble
mission," Wolfowitz added.
-
- "I believe deeply in that mission. Nothing is more
gratifying than being able to help people in need and developing opportunities
for all the people of the world to achieve their full potential."
-
- Wolfowitz will be the bank's 10th president, and its
most controversial since Robert McNamara (1968-1981), who as U.S. defense
secretary was the architect of the Vietnam War.
-
- He will take over an organization with nearly 10,000
staff that last year extended US$20 billion in funding for development
projects around the globe.
-
- Through its various agencies, the bank bills itself as
the largest external funder of education and HIV/AIDS programs in the world.
-
- Activists were unimpressed with Wolfowitz's pledges.
-
- Emira Woods, co-director of the left-wing Foreign Policy
In Focus think-tank, said the installation of Wolfowitz at the World Bank
rounded off Bush's "wrecking crew to demolish internationalism."
-
- This was all the graver "when the world community
needs to come together to tackle the debt crisis, HIV/AIDS, access to clean
water, affordable education andhealthcare Latest News about healthcare,
livable wages and a clean environment," she said.
-
- © 2005 Agence France-Presse. © 2005 CIO Today.
-
- http://enterprise-security-today.newsfactor.com/estbusbrf/story.
|
