The Next Crusade

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[Rasputin]

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has apologised for "mistakes" made over the promotion and pay of an ex-colleague with whom he is romantically involved.
Mr Wolfowitz's partner, Shaha Riza, was moved to the State Department when he took the Bank's top job in 2005.

But the bank's staff association says she then received pay rises and promotions which were "grossly out of line" with the Bank's staff rules.

The controversy comes ahead of joint World Bank and IMF spring meetings.

Mr Wolfowitz also said he would accept any remedy that the World Bank's Board proposed.

The bank chief - formerly US deputy secretary of defence - has adopted a fiercely anti-corruption stance.

The latest furore threatens to undermine Mr Wolfowitz's personal campaign to combat corruption and poor governance.

Responsibility

Until now, Mr Wolfowitz has said he took "full responsibility" for the case, but said it was being left to a committee "that is dealing with it and I am comfortable with that".

But on Thursday he said: "I made a mistake, for which I am sorry."

Ms Riza had been a high-ranking communications employee at the bank working in the Middle East section.

When Mr Wolfowitz took over at the Bank in mid-2005, Ms Riza - then a Bank employee for eight years - was transferred to work for the US State Department, to avoid any conflict of interest.

But rapid rises in her tax-free World Bank salary to about $193,000 - more than the $186,000 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice receives before tax - have aroused ire among other Bank employees.

In a memo to its members earlier in April, the World Bank Staff Association said that the speed of both promotions and salary increases were "grossly out of line" with the Bank's rules.

"Senior management has put forward a call for good governance," the memo said. "In order to be credible, senior management must model the behaviour it espouses."

Aid

While facing press questions about the case, Mr Wolfowitz has tried to shift focus back to the bank's remit of fighting global poverty.

He said the world's richest nations had given 5% less aid over the past 12 months.

"We have yet to see evidence of significant new flows translate into real resources for development programmes on the ground," he said.

Ministers and trade leaders from the 185-nation organisation are to meet on Saturday and Sunday in Washington.

The agenda will include issues including fighting diseases and the state of the world economy.

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Mr. Wolfowitz apologized at a news conference Thursday and at the atrium meeting, after the staff association disclosed that it had found the dated memorandum from Mr. Wolfowitz to a vice president for human resources at the bank, apparently instructing him to agree to the terms of a raise and reassignment for Ms. Riza.

The transfer and a subsequent raise eventually took her to a pay of $193,590 from $132,660, tax-free because of her status as a diplomat, and exceeding the salaries of cabinet members. “In hindsight, I wish I had trusted my original instincts and kept myself out of the negotiations,” Mr. Wolfowitz said.

“I made a mistake, for which I am sorry,” he added, pleading for “some understanding” of the “painful personal dilemma” he faced when he left the Pentagon to become bank president. Mr. Wolfowitz said he had been seeking to avoid a conflict of interest by having Ms. Riza, with whom he had a personal relationship, transferred from his supervision.

What drove the anger at the bank was not that Mr. Wolfowitz had denied earlier that he had sought Ms. Riza’s transfer, but that he had been less than fully candid in discussing it until documents surfaced showing his direct role. Even before the release of the documents today, his earlier insistence that he had consulted with ethics officials was disputed by some of them, who say they were not involved in the salary aspect of discussions.

Mr. Wolfowitz, who is divorced, has been close to Ms. Riza for several years, according to people who have worked with them. She was a communications officer in the Middle East and North Africa bureau of the bank when Mr. Wolfowitz arrived in 2005, and was transferred that September to the Middle East and North Africa bureau to help set up a semi-independent foundation to promote democracy in that region.

Her initial supervisor at the State Department was Elizabeth Cheney, whose father, Vice President Dick Cheney, has been a longtime associate of Mr. Wolfowitz. Ms. Riza now serves as a consultant to the foundation, the Foundation for the Future, while drawing her World Bank salary, the State Department said.

Mr. Wolfowitz, in his talk to the bank staff, essentially implied that his fate was up to the board. “I proposed to the board that they establish some mechanism to judge whether the agreement reached was a reasonable outcome,” he said of the arrangement for Ms. Riza. “I will accept any remedies they propose.”

He also appealed to the staff members to look beyond his role in planning the Iraq war and join him in fighting poverty in Africa and other missions of the bank.

“For those people who disagree with the things that they associate with me in my previous job, I’m not in my previous job,” he said.

Many bank officials said board members were likely to wait to decide what to do after checking with their finance ministers, many of whom were on their way to Washington for the annual meetings.

A decision as big as whether to remove Mr. Wolfowitz or encourage him to step down would be likely to involve leaders of the bank’s main donor countries in discussions with President Bush, bank officials said.

The bank’s five largest donors — the United States, Japan, Germany, France and Britain — each nominate one board member, but their voting power is based on shares in the bank. The United States, with 16 percent, has the largest share, making it customary for the White House to nominate the bank president.

But the bank has been gripped by resentment for years over the perception that the United States has too much influence. That trend reflects declining American influence at the bank at a time when European and Asian countries have gained in economic clout.

There is speculation among bank officials that if Mr. Wolfowitz leaves, European members and others will agitate for more of a say in choosing his successor, a possible factor in whether Mr. Bush decides to go along with his removal.

At the White House, Tony Fratto, a spokesman, said: “Of course, President Wolfowitz has our full confidence” and in dealing with the controversy over his involvement with Ms. Riza, “he has taken full responsibility and is working with the executive board to resolve it.”

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The storm over Mr. Wolfowitz has been brewing for a week, following disclosures by the bank’s staff association and the Government Accountability Project, an independent watchdog group, that Ms. Riza had received an unusually large raise. They questioned whether the proper procedures had been involved.

The controversy gained steam after the issue was mentioned by Al Kamen in his Washington Post column. The Financial Times has also disclosed details of the matter.

Subsequently, Mr. Wolfowitz asserted that he had consulted the board and the bank’s general counsel, the board’s ethics committee director, and the human resources director to arrange the transfer.

These officials then contradicted Mr. Wolfowitz, saying that while they supported the transfer and a raise, they were not involved in the amount. Alison Cave, chairwoman of the bank’s staff association, said the amount of the raise and the procedures followed seemed to violate bank rules. Ms. Cave also said the records showed that Ms. Riza was to return to the bank at the higher salary level and be given a rating of “outstanding” in her performance reviews while with the foundation.

Mr. Wolfowitz did not deny his involvement, but Thursday was the first day that evidence surfaced of his direct role.

Bank officials said they were somewhat mystified that the details of the transfer, worked out in 2005, did not get out until now. Some attributed it to the changed landscape in Washington.

Mr. Wolfowitz has also been undeniably weakened by his recent tangles with the board.

For example, as part of his broad anticorruption drive, Mr. Wolfowitz for a time suspended aid to India, Chad, Kenya and other countries without consulting the board. Uzbekistan’s aid was suspended after it ousted American troops in 2005, leading to charges of political motivation.

Last month, the bank adopted a new anticorruption policy that insisted that Mr. Wolfowitz consult board members, and it placed other restrictions on his ability to act. Resentment of Mr. Wolfowitz has extended to his two top aides, Robin Cleveland and Kevin Kellems, both of whom worked with him on defense matters in the Bush administration. Although some bank officials said the board might have decided to reprimand or dismiss one or both of them for the salary increase, that was no longer deemed a way out of the crisis for Mr. Wolfowitz.

He also appeared a victim of his own declaration that he would bring a new era of accountability to the bank. He boasted that he had doubled the staff of the public integrity division so it could prosecute cases of graft against corporations and bank employees, stirring resentment throughout the bank that he saw them all as corrupt.

Some bank officials, speaking anonymously so they could be candid, said that instead of ousting Mr. Wolfowitz, the board might prefer that he remain but in a weakened position.

“It’s a coin toss right now whether Wolfowitz stays,” one official said. “But the board might prefer to have a weak president dangling by the thread so they can run the policies themselves for the next two years.”

[Rasputin]

پل ولفوویتز رئیس بانک جهانی می گوید به رغم جنجال افزایش غیرقانونی دستمزد دوست دخترش، قصد ندارد از سمت خود کناره گیری کند.
آقای ولفوویتز در مصاحبه مطبوعاتی در واشنگتن در حاشیه اجلاس سالانه بانک جهانی و صندوق بین المللی پول گفت: "من به ماموریت این سازمان اعتقاد دارم و می دانم توانایی اجرای آن را دارم. بسیاری از افراد از من حمایت کرده اند."

در پی اوج گرفتن انتقادها از آقای ولفوویتز به خاطر افزایش غیرقانونی دستمزد و ارتقای شاها رضا، دوست دختر رئیس آمریکایی بانک جهانی، فشار بر او برای استعفا افزایش یافته است.

این در حالی است که دقایقی پیش از سخنرانی مطبوعاتی آقای ولفوویتز، کشورهای عضو بانک جهانی با انتشار بیانیه ای در واشنگتن، از "نگرانی شدید" خود از اخبار منتشر شده درباره آقای ولفوویتز خبر دادند.

این بیانیه که به وسیله کمیته 24 نفره سیاستگذاری بانک جهانی منتشر شده خواستار ادامه تحقیقات هیأت حکام این بانک درباره این موضوع شده است.


آقای ولفوویتز به خاطر اعمال نفوذ در ارتقای اداری شاها رضا عذرخواهی کرده است
هیأت حکام بانک جهانی قرار است به زودی در این باره تصمیم گیری کند.

بیانیه این کمیته می افزاید: "باید مطمئن شویم که بانک جهانی توانایی ادامه موثر ماموریت خود را دارد و می تواند از اعتبار خود دفاع کند."

آقای ولفوویتز هم در مصاحبه اش از ادامه تحقیقات در این باره خبر داده و گفته قصد جلوگیری از آن را ندارد.

او پیش از این به خاطر این جنجال عذرخواهی کرده بود.

پل ولفوویتز که از نومحافظه کاران با سابقه آمریکایی و از نزدیکان جورج بوش رئیس جمهور آمریکا است، از سال 2005 با شعار مبارزه با فساد اداری و مالی عهده دار ریاست صندوق بین المللی پول شده است.

با انتصاب آقای ولفوویتز به این سمت، خانم رضا که کارمند بخش ارتباطات بانک جهانی بود با دریافت ارتقا از این نهاد بین المللی به وزارت امورخارجه آمریکا منتقل شد.

حقوق سالانه خانم رضا که با نظر آقای ولفوویتز تعیین شده از دستمزد وزیر امورخارجه آمریکا بیشتر است.

[Rasputin]

Wolfowitz Promises Changes in Leadership

World Bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz met yesterday with senior managers to promise unspecified changes in his leadership and to appeal for their help, even as he hired a prominent defense lawyer to represent him.

"I want to make sure his rights are fully protected," said Robert S. Bennett, whom Wolfowitz retained on Saturday. On Friday, the World Bank executive board named an ad hoc committee to consider "conflict of interest, ethical, reputational, and other relevant standards" in judging Wolfowitz's performance, including his role in setting the terms of a pay and promotion package for his girlfriend, a bank employee.

"He is not going to resign," Bennett said after meeting with Wolfowitz this weekend. "His mood is just fine. . . . He feels people are trying to interfere with his job to get at world poverty, and he wants to get this thing behind him so that he can concentrate 100 percent of his effort."

Bennett said the process should slow down and give Wolfowitz "an opportunity to present his side. . . . It would be grossly unfair to him and it would not speak well of the World Bank if they rush to judgment without giving us a reasonable time to put together an appropriate presentation."

The board has not set a timetable for deliberations, although finance ministers from donor nations urged a speedy resolution, warning of low staff morale and damage to the institution's reputation. Several ministers have indicated that they think Wolfowitz should resign, although President Bush has voiced his full backing.

More than three dozen former senior bank officials, including a number who served with Wolfowitz, signed a letter published yesterday in the Financial Times urging that he resign so the bank can "speak with the moral authority necessary to move the poverty agenda forward."

Bennett said the "stakes are very high" for Wolfowitz and the bank. A former federal prosecutor and a partner at the Washington law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, Bennett was President Bill Clinton's personal attorney in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case.

"There's nothing there," he said of ethics complaints about Wolfowitz. Bennett, who spoke in an interview, emphasized that Wolfowitz had asked to be recused from personnel decisions regarding his companion, Shaha Riza, just before he formally assumed the presidency in June 2005. The board's ethics committee subsequently ruled that under ethics rules she would have to leave, and it instructed him to arrange temporary outside employment for her.

According to documents released by the board this month concerning Riza's subsequent job at the State Department, Wolfowitz dictated bank-paid salary increases and promotions for her that exceeded the bank norm.

Yesterday, Wolfowitz told the managers that he had hired Bennett to handle his personal situation and to present publicly his side of the story, freeing him to concentrate on the bank's primary mission of helping the world's poor.

At yesterday's brief meeting, Wolfowitz said he appreciated senior managers' "brainstorming" about ways to improve bank management and said he is considering a "coach" to assist him in changing his leadership style.

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Wolfowitz Panel Finds Ethics Breach, Officials Say

A World Bank committee investigating president Paul D. Wolfowitz has nearly completed a report that it plans to give the institution's governing board, concluding that he breached ethics rules when he engineered a pay raise for his girlfriend, three senior bank officials said Friday.

Friday evening, the committee was debating whether to explicitly recommend that Wolfowitz resign, according to the sources, who spoke on condition they not be named, citing an ongoing probe into leaks.

Wolfowitz is scheduled to appear before the committee with his attorney on Monday morning and mount his defense, and the bank's 24-member board of directors will convene that afternoon to discuss the report. The sources suggested that a vote by the board could come that day.

Through his attorney, Wolfowitz vowed to continue the fight to keep his job. "He will not resign under this cloud," said his attorney, Robert S. Bennett, when told of the imminent completion of the committee's report. "He's not going to give in to these coercive tactics."

Bennett excoriated the panel for reaching conclusions before giving Wolfowitz the chance to defend himself. "If this is true, this is really unconscionable, and it just reflects that he's not having his day in court," Bennett said. "Is this invitation to him a sham?"

Bennett said Wolfowitz planned to submit documents to the committee on Monday that make clear that the pay raise he arranged for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, had the full understanding and assent of the institution's ethics committee. It was not clear whether the investigating committee would revise its report after Wolfowitz's appearance.

The committee is composed of members of the bank's governing board. According to bank officials, the timing of the committee's report and its conclusions have been choreographed for maximum impact in what has become a full-blown campaign to persuade Wolfowitz to go.

The White House has so far remained resolutely supportive of Wolfowitz, even as his staff has staged an open revolt aimed at persuading him to leave and European officials have lobbied for his ouster. Already unpopular because of his role as a chief architect of the Iraq war, Wolfowitz's management style has antagonized both bank staff and European financial contributors.

On Monday, as Washington hosts a U.S.-European Union summit, President Bush is to hold a joint press conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which is leading the charge for Wolfowitz's dismissal. As the bank officials described it, the board is betting that a rebuke from the committee and a call for his resignation will persuade Wolfowitz to depart voluntarily before the summit and perhaps encourage the White House to pressure him to do so.

Wolfowitz has been under increasing pressure to step down since acknowledging his role in securing a job change and salary increase for Riza, his longtime companion. Shortly before Wolfowitz assumed the World Bank presidency in June 2005, Riza, a World Bank employee, was transferred to the State Department at an annual salary of $193,000.

A draft of the report reviewed by the committee late Friday declared Wolfowitz had violated World Bank regulations in three areas: breach of contract, breach of ethics rules and undermining the reputation of the bank.

One source said that if Wolfowitz refuses to relinquish his post, the committee could take further action against him. While this report deals only with his handling of the pay raise for Riza, the source said, the committee is prepared to investigate a range of other alleged breaches of ethics and internal governance rules, including contracts for his senior staff.

This ties up the board for an extended period of time while they get to the bottom of this," one official said.

But Bennett, Wolfowitz's attorney, asserted that that strategy would ultimately backfire. "The board, through these unreasonable and unfair actions, can't create a fake crisis and say he has to leave because he's hurting the bank," Bennett said. "They're the ones who are hurting the bank. Even those people opposed to Mr. Wolfowitz will see how outrageous this is."

Monday was also shaping up as a test of the board's will on a controversial new bank strategy on health, nutrition and population.

In recent months, World Bank employees have shaped the strategy, which directs the institution's lending, to include the ready availability of "sexual and reproductive health services" for women in poor countries. That bit of jargon is widely known in some countries to refer, among other things, to access to safe and legal abortions.

But in recent weeks, Juan Jos? Daboub, a conservative Christian whom Wolfowitz appointed managing director at the bank, directed the staff to delete that reference, effectively eliminating the endorsement for access to safe abortions, according to two bank officials. Daboub did not return calls.

In a letter sent last week to the bank vice president overseeing the strategy, several members of the governing board, including those representing Germany, France and Britain, demanded that the original language be restored, asserting that the bank would otherwise be breaking with a 1994 consensus embracing family planning.

This week, the American representative on the board, Eli Whitney Debevoise II, pressed again to remove the reference to "services" and replace it with "care," to eliminate any potential endorsement for abortion, the officials said. Debevoise did not return phone calls.

On Monday, as the committee huddles with Wolfowitz to discuss his leadership, the board is scheduled to vote on the final health strategy, officials said.

[Rasputin]

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A senior aide to embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has announced his resignation.
Kevin Kellems said an ongoing scandal surrounding his boss made it difficult for him to remain effective in his role at the Washington-based institution.

Mr Wolfowitz has been mired in a controversy involving his handling of a pay package for his girlfriend.

Mr Kellems, who had also worked with Mr Wolfowitz at the Pentagon, is expected to leave his post next week.

"Given the current environment surrounding the leadership of the World Bank, it is very difficult to be effective in helping to advance the mission of the institution," Mr Kellems said.

"I have tremendous respect and admiration for the Bank staff and management," he added.

Conflict of interest

Mr Kellems' sudden departure comes at a critical point in the investigation into whether Mr Wolfowitz acted properly over the authorisation of his girlfriend's promotion and pay increase in 2005.

The lingering controversy over the potential conflict of interest involving Shaha Riza, who is on the payroll of the World Bank, has prompted a growing chorus of voices calling for his resignation.

Critics argue the scandal is damaging the credibility of the global lender, amid a recently launched anti-corruption campaign.

Kevin is known among his colleagues for his emphasis on team-building and mentoring

Marwan Muasher, World Bank

A special World Bank panel of directors has been looking into whether Mr Wolfowitz abused his powers and is expected to report its findings imminently to the wider 24-member board.

The Bank's shareholder governments will then decide on the president's fate.

The committee is also believed to be examining other controversial employment arrangements amid claims Mr Wolfowitz gave senior posts to trusted former colleagues, who did not have much relevant experience.

Mr Kellems was an adviser to the World Bank boss when he was Deputy Defence Secretary in the Bush administration and supported him in the run-up to the Iraq war.

"Kevin is known among his colleagues for his emphasis on team-building and mentoring, and for his work ethic and grace under pressure," said Marwan Muasher, senior vice president, external affairs at the World Bank.

"My colleagues and I enjoyed working with him and will miss him."

[Rasputin]

هیات ویژه بانک جهانی طی گزارشی اعلام کرد که پل ولفوویتز، رئیس بانک جهانی با افزایش حقوق دوست دخترش، 'قوانین بانک جهانی را نقض کرده است.
این هیات گفته است که هیات مدیره بانک جهانی باید تصمیم گیری کند که آیا آقای ولفوویتز کماکان قادر است تا رهبری موثری در بانک جهانی داشته باشد یا خیر.

قرار است آقای ولفوویتز روز سه شنبه (امروز)، 15 مه در برابر هیات مدیره 24 نفری بانک جهانی قرار بگیرد.

هیات مدیره بانک جهانی توان برکناری و یا توبیخ آقای ولفوویتز را دارد و می تواند نسبت به ادامه رهبری وی ابراز تردید کند.

جنجال بر سر پرداخت مقادیر زیادی پول به شاها رضا، دوست دختر پل ولفوویتز که در بانک جهانی مشغول به کار بود، سبب شد که درخواست استعفای آقای ولفوویتز از سمت ریاست بانک جهانی مطرح گردد. مبلغ پرداختی به توصیه آقای ولفوویتز تعیین شده بود.

پل ولفوویتز پیش از این گفته بود که به رغم این درخواست ها، قصد ندارد از سمت خود کناره گیری کند.

پل ولفوویتز که از نومحافظه کاران با سابقه آمریکایی و از نزدیکان جورج بوش رئیس جمهور آمریکا است و از سال 2005 با شعار مبارزه با فساد اداری و مالی عهده دار ریاست بانک جهانی شد.

با انتصاب آقای ولفوویتز به این سمت، خانم رضا که کارمند بخش ارتباطات بانک جهانی بود، با ارتقا از این نهاد بین المللی، به وزارت امورخارجه آمریکا منتقل شد.

حقوق سالانه خانم رضا که با نظر آقای ولفوویتز تعیین شده از حقوق وزیر خارجه آمریکا بیشتر است.

در گزارشی که پیش از نشست هیات مدیره بانک جهانی انتشار یافت، هیات ویژه این بانک خواهان آن شد که هیات مدیره بانک جهانی درباره توانایی آقای ولفوویتز نسبت به ادامه کار خود در سمت رئیس بانک جهانی نظر بدهد.

جیمز وستهد، خبرنگار بی بی سی در واشنگتن می گوید که اوضاع به نظر چندان برای آقای ولفوویتز مساعد به نظر نمی رسد.

کاخ سفید در این مساله از پل ولفوویتز حمایت کرده است اما وی در میان کشورهای اروپایی که در هیات مدیره نفوذ زیادی دارند، محبوبیت چندانی ندارد.

[Rasputin]

A panel of executives at the World Bank says its President Paul Wolfowitz broke bank rules in awarding a substantial pay rise to his girlfriend.
The directors said the full board of the World Bank should consider whether Mr Wolfowitz was still able to provide effective leadership.

He is due to appear before the full 24-member board in Washington.

The board has the power to dismiss Mr Wolfowitz, reprimand him or report a lack of confidence in his leadership.

In remarks released ahead of the board meeting, the panel said Mr Wolfowitz provoked a "conflict of interest" at the World Bank.

It ruled he had broken the bank's code of conduct and violated the terms of his contract.

The full board must address the issue of Mr Wolfowitz's ability to continue in his job, the panel urged.

A spokesman for the US treasury secretary said the panel's findings did not merit Mr Wolfowitz's dismissal.

Censure 'likely'

"[The board must consider] whether Mr Wolfowitz will be able to provide the leadership needed to ensure that the bank continues to operate to the fullest extent possible in achieving its mandate," the panel concluded.

The BBC's James Westhead, in Washington, says the signs do not look good for the World Bank head, with the tone of the panel's comments suggesting he will face at least some kind of censure.

Mr Wolfowitz has faced calls for him to step down since details emerged about his role in securing a pay rise for his partner, Shaha Riza, after he was appointed president of the World Bank in 2005.

When Mr Wolfowitz took over Ms Riza was transferred to work for the US state department, to avoid any conflict of interest.

But her salary rose quickly to about $193,000 (£98,000) - more than the $186,000 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice receives before tax.

The World Bank has since been investigating the extent of Mr Wolfowitz's role in securing the pay increase.

Mr Wolfowitz has received the backing of senior figures in the US administration, including an endorsement by Vice-President Dick Cheney.

But he is less popular with European governments, which hold key positions on the board of the bank.

Mr Wolfowitz was considered a controversial choice ever since President Bush nominated him to head the World Bank, because of his high-profile role during the early part of the Iraq war.

[Rasputin]

ولفوویتز از ریاست بانک جهانی کنار می رود


پل ولفوویتز به هیأت ویژه گفته فعالیت هایش با رعایت اصول اخلاقی و حسن نیت بوده است
هیات ویژه بانک جهانی در بیانیه ای اعلام کرده که پل ولفوویتز، رئیس بانک جهانی، در پایان ماه ژوئن - حدود یک ماه و نیم دیگر - از مقام خود استعفا خواهد کرد.
این هیات پیشتر گفته بود که آقای ولفوویتز با افزایش حقوق دوست دخترش، 'قوانین بانک جهانی را نقض کرده است.' با این حال در بیانیه تازه تاکید شده که هیأت ویژه اظهارات آقای ولفوویتز را که گفته 'با رعایت اصول اخلاقی و با نیت درست' عمل کرده، پذیرفته است.

کاخ سفید که در هفته های اخیر پس از جنجال بر سر میزان پرداخت به دوست دختر آقای ولفوویتز از وی حمایت کرده بود، از خبر استعفای وی ابراز تأسف کرده و گفته است نامزد دیگری برای احراز این پست معرفی می کند.

پل ولفوویتز که از نومحافظه کاران با سابقه آمریکایی و از نزدیکان جورج بوش رئیس جمهور آمریکا است، از سال 2005 میلادی با شعار مبارزه با فساد اداری و مالی عهده دار ریاست بانک جهانی شد.

جنجال اخیر پس از آن به وجود آمد که مشخص شد پس از انتصاب آقای ولفوویتز به این سمت، شاها رضا، دوست دختر وی و از کارمندان بخش ارتباطات بانک جهانی، ارتقاء یافته و دستمزد بسیار بالایی به توصیه آقای ولفوویتز برای وی تعیین شده است.

هیأت ویژه بانک جهانی در بخشی از بیانیه خود به تمجید از عملکرد آقای ولفوویتز در دو سال گذشته پرداخته و در عین حال نوشته است که اشتباهاتی صورت گرفته که ایجاد برخی تغییرات در ساختار این نهاد بین المللی را ضروری می کند.

با قطعی شدن رفتن پل ولفوویتز از بانک جهانی، فرایند انتخاب جانشین وی بلافاصله آغاز خواهد شد.

نام کسانی چون استنلی فیشر، از مقام های ارشد پیشین صندوق بین المللی پول و مدیر فعلی بانک اسرائیل، رابرت کیمیت، معاون وزیر خزانه داری آمریکا، و رابرت ب زولیک، از معاونین پیشین وزارت خارجه و از نایب رئیس بانک گلدمن ساکس، به عنوان گزینه های احتمالی کاخ سفید برای جایگزینی آقای ولفوویتز شنیده شده است.

[Rasputin]

Paul Wolfowitz is to quit as president of the World Bank following a bitter promotion row involving his girlfriend.
After lengthy talks with the bank's board, Mr Wolfowitz said he would quit the global lending body on 30 June.

He had faced widespread calls for his resignation after being accused of a conflict of interest over a pay rise given to ex-bank employee Shaha Riza.

The White House, which had backed Mr Wolfowitz, said President George W Bush reluctantly accepted his decision.

Mr Bush's former deputy defence secretary joined the World Bank in 2005.

The bank said it would start an immediate search for his successor.

'Good faith'

In a statement, the board of directors said it accepted Mr Wolfowitz's assurances that he had "acted ethically and in good faith" in the handling of Ms Riza's role and remuneration.

But it acknowledged that a "number of mistakes" had been made.

I have concluded it is in the best interests of those whom the institution serves for that mission to be carried forward under new leadership

Paul Wolfowitz


Reaction to resignation
Q&A: Wolfowitz row

In response, Mr Wolfowitz said his decision to resign was "in the best interests" of the institution, which has more than 180 member countries worldwide.

The BBC's Justin Webb in Washington says that by accepting his claim that his actions were honourably intended, the bank has allowed Mr Wolfowitz to leave with, in theory at least, his reputation intact.

He has been under severe pressure for weeks, with a number of European politicians calling on him to step down to prevent the Bank's credibility from being eroded.

HAVE YOUR SAY
Wolfowitz was an embarassment to the US and his departure was long overdue

Bob Apthorpe, Austin, USA


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The White House strongly supported Mr Wolfowitz - although experts believed its influence would not be enough to save his position in the face of European hostility.

A spokeswoman for the bank's staff association - which had been at the forefront of calls for Mr Wolfowitz's resignation - said: "He has damaged the institution and continues to damage it every day that he remains as its president."

Conflict of interest

Mr Wolfowitz came under fire after details emerged about his role in securing a pay rise for Ms Riza, who used to work at the bank.

When appointed to his post in 2005, he notified the bank of a potential conflict of interest because of his relationship with Ms Riza.

He asked to be allowed to recuse himself, or step aside, from any decisions regarding her future.


Paul Wolfowitz's leadership of the World Bank has attracted critics
The bank's ethics committee acknowledged a conflict of interest but did not allow Mr Wolfowitz to recuse himself.

Mr Wolfowitz then proposed to move Ms Riza to the US state department, where she would be paid and promoted apparently in line with her prospects at the World Bank.

The bank accepted and Ms Riza was duly transferred. Her salary rose quickly to about $193,000 (£98,000) - more than the $186,000 that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice receives before tax.

A panel of the World Bank later found that Mr Wolfowitz had provoked a "conflict of interest" and broken its code of conduct.

The panel found that the salary Mr Wolfowitz arranged for Ms Riza had been higher than her due and that he had acted "in opposition to the rules of the institution".

While admitting he made a mistake in his handling of the case, Mr Wolfowitz says he has been the victim of a smear campaign and ought to have followed his initial instinct to recuse himself.

The board is made up of representatives of the Bank's leading members including the US, UK, Japan, France and Germany.

The bank gave no further details of its agreement with Mr Wolfowitz.

[Rasputin]