From Truthout.org:
Washington - A majority of countries on the World Bank board believe Paul Wolfowitz should resign as President of the World Bank, bank board sources from rich and developing nations said on Friday.
"It is now very clear that a majority of members think Mr. Wolfowitz must resign," said one board source from a developing country, which received instructions from its capital this week not to support Wolfowitz's continued leadership.
"We believe that the World Bank cannot continue under the leadership of Mr. Wolfowitz," the source told Reuters.
The bank's 24-nation board this week delayed a final decision until next week over Wolfowitz's future, which hangs in the balance over a pay and promotion deal he approved for his companion, Shaha Riza, a World Bank Middle East expert.
The high-paying promotion sparked calls by the bank's employee association for Wolfowitz to resign and has paralyzed the institution, the globe's largest poverty-fighting agency.
Wolfowitz has said he took the advice of the board's ethics committee on Riza and that the row is part of a smear campaign designed to undermine his leadership.
Asked how many member countries thought Wolfowitz should resign, the source told Reuters: "More than 50 percent."
But another board official from a developed country cautioned that Wolfowitz's departure was not yet a foregone conclusion and he should be given time to respond properly to findings by a panel that his actions in the Riza's promotion broke bank rules.
He is expected to present his response to the panel by the end of the day today.
It was unclear whether the meeting of the board will decide Wolfowitz's future by consensus or whether it may be forced into a vote, which would be an unusual move.
There is concern among some board officials that a vote could further divide the bank by pitting allies of the United States against Europe and its supporters.
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