News Round Up, April 26, 2007

Battle Escalates: "Letting him stay is not an option'' - New York Times

New York Times-Wolfowitz Escalates Battle to Stay at Bank

Paul D. Wolfowitz accused the bank's board on Wednesday of treating him ''shabbily and unfairly,'' and appealed for more time to defend himself against allegations of favoritism and other matters.

But the board was described as puzzled and put off by Mr. Wolfowitz's decision, disclosed this week, to bring in Mr. Bennett, who is known as a litigator but also as someone who can make a deal in situations that seem beyond compromise.
A top European official involved in setting bank policy said there could be a deal avoiding a censure of Mr. Wolfowitz but that it had to involve Mr. Wolfowitz leaving the bank.

''There are a lot of people at the bank asking, 'What is Wolfowitz thinking?' '' the official said. ''It just looks like Wolfowitz is ramping up the pressure. I think the bank directors are looking for a deal to avoid a confrontation. But he's got to go as part of it. Letting him stay is not an option.''

Financial Times-Wolfowitz's late bid to regain initiative

Most non-US directors will probably regard any finding that Mr Wolfowitz's handling of the Riza secondment broke bank codes of conduct or ethics as sufficient to establish that his credibility is damaged beyond repair. They will also insist that the ultimate judgment about whether Mr Wolfowitz should stay or go be grounded on the broader question of whether he has the moral authority and support he needs to be effective.

Le Monde, France - Les Européens hésitent à demander le départ de Paul Wolfowitz

L'entêtement du président de la Banque mondiale irrite à Bruxelles et dans les capitales européennes, où l'on ne veut pas donner le sentiment d'attaquer l'administration américaine.

Son entêtement embarrasse les gouvernements européens, qui hésitent à exiger son départ. Après Londres et Berlin, le gouvernement français a rappelé que l'institution devait exercer ses missions dans des conditions " irréprochables d'un point de vue éthique "… Louis Michel, le commissaire européen chargé du développement, s'inquiète des conséquences de cette crise sur l'activité de la Banque mondiale. "

Cette affaire révèle surtout l'intensité de la bataille interne entre M. Wolfowitz et le personnel : si elle se prolonge ou si elle ne débouche pas sur une clarification, cela va handicaper l'institution ", dit-on dans l'entourage de M. Michel.

Spiegel, Germany - Wolfowitz-Affäre - Weltbank wollte Klimawandel totschweigen

Neue Vorwürfe gegen Weltbank-Chef Wolfowitz: Einer seiner Vertrauten soll massiv in die Arbeit eines Wissenschaftlers eingegriffen haben. Im Umweltbericht der Weltbank sollten die Folgen des Klimawandels heruntergespielt werden.

Washington - Die Vorwürfe richten sich gegen einen der beiden Stellvertreter Paul Wolfowitz', Juan José Daboub. Er soll versucht haben, in einem der wichtigsten Umweltberichte der Weltbank die Aussagen über den Klimawandel zu verwässern. Das sagte der oberste Wissenschaftler der Weltbank, Robert Watson, der "Financial Times".

Daboub, früher konservativer Finanzminister von El Salvador, ist von Wolfowitz zur Weltbank geholt worden. Er steht bereits in der Kritik, weil er in die Strategie der Bank zur Familienplanung in Madagaskar eingegriffen haben soll.

Ekstrabladet, Denmark - Danish dollars to corruption

Denmark is involved in the sex and corruption scandal which is developing around World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz. 12 millions of Danish taxpayers money ($2 million) are stranded in an international foundation with the ambitious name 'Foundation for the future' which has as its commendable aim to 'support independent CSO and democracy projects' in the Middle East and North Africa. In reality, we are talking about a ghost office, which hasn't paid out a dime since the start up in 2005, has no telephone, no official address, and has only organized 4 meetings. The foundation is run by Paul Wolfowitz' girlfriend, Tunisian born Shaha Riza, who's also the only employee in the office.