EU invites World Bank candidate Wolfowitz to present his plans

BRUSSELS - European Union development commissioner Louis Michel has invited US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to present his future plans if confirmed as next president of the World Bank.
"I am looking forward to meeting Mr. Wolfowitz in Brussels to listen to his ideas on development, the main challenges ahead and his vision for the World Bank as a major actor" in the fight against poverty, Michel said in a statement.
Wolfowitz will be able to meet with development ministers from the European Union's 25 member countries plus Norway and Switzerland, an aid to the EU commissioner said.
"As the world's largest aid donor, the European Union has built a strategic partnership with the World Bank to pursue its main goal, which is poverty alleviation," said Michel, who is also the EU humanitarian aid commissioner.
As a former Belgian foreign minister, Michel was a leading European critic of the US war in Iraq, of which Wolfowitz was a prime architect.
The latter's nomination by US President George W. Bush as next World Bank president prompted a cool reaction in Brussels, while aid groups voiced dismay and some puzzlement.
On Friday, Michel said of the World Bank: "This institution plays a crucial role in addressing the development challenges, a huge task that can only be tackled by a joint effort of the international community."

03/18/2005 17:26 GMT