MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

NYT calls for the resignation of World Bank president

Scandal with World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz

The New York Times has called for the dismissal of World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz who is entangled in a scandal over securing a huge pay raise awarded to a close female friend.

The NYT said Wolfowitz should step down since he has "fallen far short of his own standards." "What might Mr. Wolfowitz himself say if he discovered that a government receiving World Bank loans was making similar sweet arrangements for the personal friends of its president?" asked the newspaper. "The reason Paul Wolfowitz should resign as president of the World Bank has nothing to do with Iraq, or his last job as No. 2 in Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon, or even his clashes with the bank's directors and staff. He should resign because he made clean governance his main cause at the bank and has fallen far short of his own standards". NYT also pointed that there is no possibility for him to regain his credibility and function effectively at the bank. "The facts are not in dispute. When Mr. Wolfowitz was appointed he was in a personal relationship with a woman employed there. Since working under Mr. Wolfowitz's supervision would violate the bank's conflict-of-interest rules, she was reassigned to the State Department, where she initially worked under Liz Cheney, the vice president's daughter", said the NYT editorial. "She remained on the bank's payroll, and it now turns out that Mr. Wolfowitz helped arrange for her to receive a whopping 60,000 US dollars raise. Mr. Wolfowitz has launched a full rearguard action, apologizing to the staff, pledging full cooperation with any investigation, and appealing to staff members not to hold his "previous job" against him". Wolfowitz on Sunday refused to resign despite great concern over his conduct by some of the governing members of the World Bank. The 185 members remained split on his fate while the former Pentagon chief enjoyed a strong backing from the US administration. White House spokeswoman Nancy Perino said President George W Bush still had "full confidence" in Mr Wolfowitz and had done a "very good job" at the World Bank. The Bank's board of directors is expected to meet in the next few days to discuss the affair. Bank member governments have said the matter is of great concern and the bank's staff association has urged him to quit. A communiqué issued by development and finance ministers meeting in Washington said it was important the bank should maintain its credibility and reputation as well as the motivation of its staff.