Wheeler calls for Wolfowitz to step down, White House says Board should focus on long term effectiveness of institution

Reuters

A deputy to Paul Wolfowitz urged the World Bank chief on Wednesday to resign in the interests of the institution during a meeting of the bank's management, sources who participated in the meeting said. The sources told Reuters that World Bank Managing Director Graeme Wheeler, a bank veteran named by Wolfowitz as one of his two deputies a year ago, raised the issue at a meeting of the bank's vice presidents .

"I think the effort of the World Bank board should be to get to the facts, treat it with fairness and think of the long-term effectiveness of the institution," said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

Wall Street Journal

"The risk for Mr. Wolfowitz is that the White House could decide that maintaining long-term U.S. credibility within the bank and more broadly in the international community is more important than defending Mr. Wolfowitz's personal integrity."

Financial Times

The danger that internal strife could cripple the bank will weigh heavily on its board - made up of representatives of shareholder governments - which meets again on Thursday.

New York Times

'The fact that Graeme would ask him to resign has been all over the bank today,'' one official said. ''He is an unassuming guy who is very well respected here."

Reports of Mr. Wolfowitz's plans to change his management style did not appear to placate the staff association, which has called on him to resign.

Inter Press Service

Some Bank staff appear to be behind a new website, www.wolfowitzresign.com , launched this week, to rally support for the call on the World Bank president to go.