Bush may name World Bank chief this week: WHouse
BRUNSWICK, Georgia (Reuters) - President George W. Bush is likely to announce this week a candidate to replace World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, who resigned after a storm of criticism over a salary increase for his companion, White House spokesman Tony Snow said on Tuesday.
"I think we're getting pretty close," Snow said aboard Air Force One as Bush made a visit to Georgia.
Snow said it was likely Bush would announce his selection this week but declined to say whether he had already made his decision. Wolfowitz steps down on June 30.
The top contenders include former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, 53, and U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt, 59, according to Republican sources, with Zoellick seen as the stronger candidate.
Among other names that have been mentioned are Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, 63; former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, 79; and U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, 53, although Republican sources say Fischer and Volcker seem unlikely. Another possibility, former Tennessee Republican Sen. Bill Frist, has said he does not want the job.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, who is charged with recommending a nominee to replace Wolfowitz, declined to comment on the selection process.
Bush has said he wants an American to succeed Wolfowitz, despite increasing calls from World Bank member countries and some U.S. lawmakers to throw the process open to a global pool of candidates.
The controversy over Wolfowitz' authorization of a hefty raise for his companion, Middle East expert Shaha Riza, deepened rifts among bank staff already discontented over his anti-corruption agenda and prompted sharp criticism from shareholder countries.
Australia on Sunday became the latest country to call for the United States to open the selection process to non-American candidates, joining South Africa and Brazil.
The United States has traditionally selected the head of the World Bank -- a convention started when the institution was founded 60 years ago -- while Europe has chosen the head of its sister organization, the International Monetary Fund.
Four U.S. House of Representatives committee chairmen last week also urged a global search, saying the best nominee "could come from anywhere".
TRADE, CHINA EXPERT
Zoellick left his job as deputy secretary of state last year to join Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. He had been tipped as a candidate last year to become Treasury Secretary, but that job went to then-Goldman Sachs chief executive Paulson instead.
As Bush's first trade representative, Zoellick helped launch the Doha round of world trade talks and completed negotiations to bring China and Taiwan into the World Trade Organization. He continued a major focus on China as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's top deputy.
Kimmitt, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany, was undersecretary of state for political affairs in President Bush's father's administration. Since taking the Treasury's No. 2 post in 2005, he has been involved in talks with donor countries to provide aid to Iraq and has frequently deputized for Paulson at meetings of international finance ministers.
(Additional reporting by David Lawder and Caren Bohan in Washington)
