Wolfowitz unanimously elected World Bank head
Paul Wolfowitz has been elected unanimously:
As expected, the 24 executive directors of the World Bank unanimously voted Thursday to elect Paul Wolfowitz president.
This follows a week of intensive personal diplomacy, including encouraging statements such as these:
“I understand that I am, to put it mildly, a controversial figure,” he said. “But I hope that, as people get to know me better, they will understand that I really do believe deeply in the mission of the bank. It is a mission that is a unifying mission.”
Concerning future appointments to the bank, he added: “I intend to look for the best talent from all around the world and I look forward to having a truly multinational senior staff.”
As I wrote the other day, I think he’s going to be a great one. Others are warming up:
Armand De Decker, the development minister of
Mr Wolfowitz told his EU audience that, ideally, he would have wanted an additional year to prepare for his new responsibilities at the World Bank.
That’s a good comment …
Mr De Decker added: “Like anybody who is starting a new job, he will have to adapt to that job I am sure that he will adapt. It seems that he has always put the accent on efficiency and I certainly think he can bring more efficiency to development aid.”
