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.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS