Wolfowitz Confirmed as New World Bank President Thu Mar 31, 8:56 PM ET Top Stories - Reuters By Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank unanimously approved Paul Wolfowitz as its new president on Thursday despite quiet misgivings by some member countries over his role as the Bush administration's architect of the Iraq war. The outcome had largely been decided by the governments of the bank's major shareholder nations before the 24-member board met for a vote by consensus. Wolfowitz, 61, the U.S. deputy defense secretary, will overlap with current bank chief and Clinton appointee James Wolfensohn before taking the reins on June 1 of the biggest funder of development projects in the poorest nations. "It is humbling to be entrusted with the leadership of this critically important international institution," Wolfowitz said in a statement, having ultimately convinced his new global constituency he was more multidimensional than his hard-line image. While many had fumed privately at President Bush's nomination of the prominent conservative, not a single European government spoke out against his candidacy. Diplomatic sources said grumbling was kept low in part because of European jostling for top jobs at other global agencies. The Pentagon's No. 2 civilian official was the only nominee for the World Bank job, which by informal agreement is headed by an American. The top post of the International Monetary Fund usually goes to a European. PRAISE AND DISSENT Wolfowitz said the board's consensus over his nomination showed that obstacles could be overcome for a mutual commitment to reducing poverty. He said the controversy over his role in the Iraq war could "be put behind us." "If we want to achieve the vision of a future that all of us dream of, not just in America, but the whole world, there are a number of pieces that need to fit together, and reducing poverty has got to be one of the major pieces," he told PBS television in an interview on Thursday. Wolfowitz said "for better or for worse" he was going into the job with an open mind. "I am familiar with the wide range of issues that the bank has to confront and I think I would be very foolish to have a dogmatic view on any of these things," he said. While progress has been made in East Asia, Latin America and to a lesser extent in the Middle East, Africa is lagging behind, so it will be a priority for the bank, he said. "There are pockets in Africa that are exceptions to this, but it is terribly important for Africans and for the world to get Africans onto the same path," he said. Wolfowitz said he was not a free agent and would report to the bank's board. The White House said in a statement, "The mission of the World Bank is of vital importance to our country and the world, as this year's focus on development and accelerating action in Africa by the G-8 and the U.N. highlights." Britain, the bank's other large shareholder, described Wolfowitz as "a distinguished individual with a great deal of international experience." Wolfowitz's nomination drew strong criticism from aid groups, who opposed what they called "the one-horse race." Anti-poverty activists held a small demonstration outside the bank's Washington headquarters. "It is disgraceful that governments have chosen to fill this important post via backdoor horse-trading, rather than through an open selection process," said Peter Bosshard, of the California-based International Rivers Network. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. 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