Candidates to replace WB chief

WASHINGTON: The White House has begun searching for a successor to outgoing World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz amid questions about the tradition that allows Washington to name an American as the development lender's leader.

Europeans - who were particularly critical of Wolfowitz and backed the drive to oust him from the bank - nevertheless continue to support that Washington maintain its role in naming the World Bank president.

But several non-governmental organizations, along with Brazil, have called for the replacement search to be opened to non-American candidates and to focus on the person's competence rather than nationality.

On Saturday Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega called for the selection process to take place "in an open and transparent environment without restriction on the candidates by nationality."

Leading contenders mentioned in the US media are Robert Zoellick, the former US trade representative and deputy secretary of state, and current Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt.

Also suggested is Bill Frist, the former Republican majority leader in the US Senate, even though his political alignment is not far from that of Wolfowitz, whose credentials as a US conservative and war-hawk clouded his reception at the bank when named in 2005.

(AFP)