Bush nominates aide for World Bank

WASHINGTON — President Bush nominated Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz on Wednesday to be the next World Bank president, selecting an aide who has drawn worldwide criticism as the chief architect of the war in Iraq to run the development and anti-poverty organization.

The nomination marks the second time this month Bush has named an outspoken conservative to play a prominent U.S. role in a global institution. Last week, he nominated John Bolton, chief of nonproliferation efforts at the State Department, as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Wolfowitz, 61, a veteran of three Republican administrations, is one of Bush's closest aides, a conservative who was part of the small inner circle of foreign policy hands advising Bush from the beginning of his 2000 presidential campaign.

Bush called Wolfowitz "a compassionate, decent man who will do a fine job." Wolfowitz shares the president's vision that free markets are crucial to the spread of democracy throughout the world.

But the nomination got a frosty reception in some European capitals, where opposition to the war runs high.

"The enthusiasm in old Europe is not exactly overwhelming," German development minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul told the Reuters news agency.

"It's a proposal," French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told reporters in Brussels. "We shall examine it in the context of the personality of the person you mention and perhaps in view of other candidates."

Despite the muted reaction, Wolfowitz is expected to be approved by the World Bank's directors to replace James Wolfensohn, who announced two months ago plans to leave the bank May 31 after serving two five-year terms.

The 184-member World Bank is the United Nations' anti-poverty arm. It has 9,300 employees around the world and provided $20.1 billion in grants and low-interest loans for 245 development projects last year.

The United States, as the bank's largest contributor, has proportional voting power on the 24-member board and thus should secure approval for Wolfowitz. Conversely, European nations traditionally pick the head of the International Monetary Fund.

Wolfensohn, a former investment banker who was traveling in London on Wednesday, released a statement praising Wolfowitz.

"He is a person of high intellect, integrity, and broad experience both in the public and private sectors and has qualifications that would be critical to leading the bank," said Wolfensohn.

Critics took aim at the key role Wolfowitz has played in the planning and execution of the war in Iraq, where more than 1,500 U.S. soldiers have died and more than 11,000 others have been wounded.

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