WASHINGTON: The White House said on Friday it would act quickly to nominate the next World Bank chief and left open the possibility the successor to bank president Paul Wolfowitz might not be an American.
"We want to move swiftly in this process," White House spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters.
"We want to make sure we are selecting the best individual for the job. We want someone with a real passion for lifting people out of poverty," he said.
By tradition, Washington names the World Bank chief while European states nominate the head of the International Monetary Fund. But the scandal surrounding Wolfowitz has prompted calls from some quarters to discard the practice or to appoint a non-American to the post.
Asked if President George W. Bush might nominate someone who was not a US national, Fratto said: "potentially, sure".
The comment came as a former bank executive said outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair could be in the running to serve as the next bank president.
Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel prize-winning economist and former senior vice president and chief economist at the bank, told BBC radio that Blair "is one of the people that is clearly being discussed".
Blair, a staunch ally of Bush, just held talks this week with the US president in Washington on a range of foreign policy issues.
A spokesman for Blair, who leaves office June 27, declined to comment on the remarks. Amid speculation who might succeed Wolfowitz, there was no sign the United States would relinquish the practice of nominating the head of the World Bank as demanded by critics of the poverty-fighting institution.
"Traditionally the American nominee has become the World Bank president," Fratto said.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was leading the selection process and would submit recommendations to the president, said Fratto, without indicating how soon a decision would be made.
Paulson said in a statement he would seek advice from international partners on possible nominees.
"I will consult my colleagues around the world as we search for a leader who will continue to focus the bank on creating opportunities for the world's poorest by assuring that resources are directed to effective, efficient, well-coordinated projects," Paulson said.
He praised Wolfowitz's performance and said his department looked "forward to working with our colleagues at the bank to ensure a smooth transition process".
Wolfowitz announced on Thursday he would resign as bank president on June 30 after a bank panel found he had violated the organization's code of conduct by arranging a hefty pay and promotion deal for his girlfriend, a fellow bank employee.
Fratto dismissed media reports about possible names under consideration as "pure speculation".
