22 June 2007
Zoellick met with the 24-member Board on June 20 in a four hour, informal meeting. The discussion will continue on Monday June 25. The Board is expected to formally appoint Zoellick by the end of the month.
The discussions on Wednesday focused on strategic directions, leadership, corporate governance, multilateral environment and independence of the Bank.
According to the New York Times, “A bank official familiar with Mr. Zoellick’s meeting said he was very precise in discussing possible changes in the bank’s governing structure and its difficulties on issues like whether to continue lending to so-called middle-income countries that have easy access to capital markets, the need to raise money for the poorest countries and combating corruption in bank lending.”
Another senior bank official reported: “The board found Zoellick to be somebody who understands the issues and the needs of the bank. It was a very positive meeting from the board’s point of view.”
As of yet, there is no official comment on the meeting from the Board or from Zoellick.
Zoellick returned on June 19 from his 'listening and learning' tour of Africa, Europe, and Latin America where he spoke with various officials on development issues.
Resources
Zoellick Obtains Board Support to Lead World Bank, Officials Say, by Steven R. Weisman, The New York Times, June 21, 2007
World Bank board interviews president-designate Zoellick, Agence France-Presse, June 21, 2007 (Channel News Asia website)