US President George Bush is to recommend his deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz as the new head of the World Bank.
A senior administration official said today that Mr Wolfowitz, a hard-liner instrumental in Mr Bush's foreign policy, would be proposed to other countries in the coming days.
Paul Wolfowitz
World Bank president James Wolfensohn is stepping down as head of the 184-nation development bank on June 1st ending a second five-year term.
He welcomed Mr Wolfowitz's nomination, saying he "is a person of high intellect, integrity and broad experience".
The US is the World Bank's largest member nation and traditionally has had an American president. Its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, traditionally has been headed by a European.
If Mr Wolfowitz is appointed there is likely to be an outcry among liberals who regard the deputy to Donald Rumsfeld as one of the most influential idealogues in neo-conservative thinking.
Neo-cons are often accused of wanting to control the natural assets in developing countries for US comercial interests.
Agencies