Europe buried misgivings over Washington's nomination of Iraq war architect Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank on Wednesday, making clear that it would not stand in his way. European Union leaders pressed, nevertheless, for a meeting with the US deputy defence secretary before the end of March to hear his views on the multinational development bank's role.
"The realpolitik of the situation is that in all likelihood Mr Wolfowitz will be appointed as chairman of the bank," Irish Finance Minister Brian Cowen told a news conference after a summit of European Union leaders in Brussels.
Wolfowitz's nomination to succeed James Wolfensohn as World Bank president shocked many Europeans, who know him best as an advocate of using US military power to invade Iraq.
More than 1,300 European aid organisations have put their names to a statement of concern about Wolfowitz's nomination, saying his appointment risked turning the bank into a "tool of the current controversial US foreign policy".
No European government spoke out openly against the choice but diplomats say many were uneasy, especially after the appointment of another hawk, former under secretary of state John Bolton, as US ambassador to the United Nations.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, one of Europe's fiercest opponents of the invasion of Iraq, said he had spoken to US President George W. Bush on the matter some time ago.
"I told him that I believed Europe's enthusiasm would be limited but that the appointment would not fail because of Germany," Schroeder told a news conference. "My impression is that is also the case for others in Europe."
Others at the summit indicated there would be no objections to Wolfowitz's nomination, which comes at a time when Europe is seeking to heal rifts with the Bush administration and wants US backing for former EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy's bid to head the World Trade Organisation.
"We said he was a good candidate from the very beginning ... it seems to me he is well-read, competent and likeable," Italian Economy Domenico Sinicalco told reporters.
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