A day after Paul Wolfowitz resigned as World Bank president under an ethics cloud, the US faced the tough task of healing rifts with Europeans and satisfying calls that his successor be picked on merit, not just nationality.
Wolfowitz's resignation on Thursday followed pressure by European opponents who said his handling of a high-paying promotion for his companion damaged the institution's credibility. Bank staff complained the crisis had undermined their mission of fighting poverty in developing countries.
"It is a very delicate issue, but we will make clear to the United States that we need someone credible and this time they need to consult more broadly," a European bank board official said. "That was not the case with Mr. Wolfowitz."
The US, the bank's largest shareholder, has named the World Bank chief since the bank's inception more than 60 years ago.
Many critics have said that practice should be revamped in the wake of Wolfowitz's rocky two-year tenure at the bank.
European countries, who by tradition always choose the head of the bank's sister organization, the IMF, have not challenged that long-standing practice.
The administration of US President George W. Bush promised on Friday to find someone quickly to succeed Wolfowitz and bring management skills to the job of healing an institution battered by the turmoil over Wolfowitz's tenure.
"We want to make sure that we are selecting the best individual for the job," White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. "We want someone who has a real passion for lifting people out of poverty."
The US administration also reiterated that the next president should be an American, as has been the case since its founding.
US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has said he would help Bush identify a nominee after consulting with other nations. He made clear it would be an American.
"I see no reason why this should change and I see every reason why it's important that the World Bank should continue to be run by an American," Paulson said.
Dutch Development Minister Bert Koenders said the stature of the candidate was more important than nationality.
"The quality of a new candidate is the most important thing. Whatever nationality, American or from another continent, the bank needs a president of the highest quality," he said.
While the White House cautioned it was too early to speculate over a successor, names being tossed around in the US media included Bill Frist, the former Republican senator from Tennessee and former Senate majority leader, and Robert Zoellick, a former deputy secretary of state and US Trade Representative.
Senior board members spent time on Friday meeting with staff members who are still unhappy that Wolfowitz was not formally ousted or that the board did not adopt a resolution finding him guilty of violating ethics and governance codes of conduct.
The bank's staff association said it was important to the institution's credibility to ensure the process of choosing the next chief was more transparent.
"The next president should be selected based on merit and qualifications, after full consultation of all shareholders," it said.
The association also demanded that Wolfowitz be put on administrative leave immediately and prohibited from making policy decisions.
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