European Union finance ministers chose Frenchman Dominique
Strauss-Kahn yesterday as their candidate to run the International
Monetary Fund but agreed that after him Europe's monopoly on the
job should end.
The backing for the former Socialist finance minister was a
victory for new French President Nicolas Sarkozy who has sought to
leave his mark quickly on Europe's political map.
It was also a blow for Britain which argued the top IMF job
should be open to non-European candidates already.
"We've quickly reached political understanding on the name of a
candidate and the candidate will be Dominique Strauss-Kahn," said
Portuguese Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos, whose
country holds the EU presidency, after a monthly meeting of EU
finance chiefs.
The ministers agreed that the job, which has gone to a European
ever since the IMF was set up in 1945, should be open to all once
Strauss-Kahn's term ends.
"We are aware that a tradition that dates back to the 40's in a
world that has changed, needs to change," Italian Economy Minister
Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa told reporters.
There is no rule that the head of the IMF must be from Europe.
But in practice the role has always gone to a European while the
United States nominated the head of the World Bank.
"It was too late this time because the Americans have already
nominated their candidate to the World Bank," an EU source said,
about a change in the arrangement now.
The United States indicated last week it would not challenge
Europe's grip on the IMF captaincy since it had just picked
American Robert Zoellick for the top World Bank job.
"It's a bit tit-for-tat, but there was agreement that we would
open the job next time," the EU source said.
Developing nations are challenging assumptions that Europeans
and Americans should carve up the top jobs in world finance,
arguing the arrangement no longer reflects the balance of economic
power since the rise of China and other countries.
Strauss-Kahn, 58, is a respected, multilingual advocate of social
democratic economics. He was credited with engineering France's
economic recovery in the late 1990s and helped cut the country's
budget deficit to ensure France joined the euro zone.
He failed to get the Socialist nomination to contest the 2007
presidential election, won by center-right Sarkozy.
In his first comments since Sarkozy proposed him for the job and
then pursued a juggernaut campaign to get European support,
Strauss-Kahn said the IMF mission had to be redefined and
developing countries should be given "the role they deserved".
French Economy Minister Christine Lagarde said opening the IMF
post to global competition should be mirrored at the World Bank's
top job.
Britain and the IMF board said on Monday that the post should
immediately be opened up to all candidates when current managing
director, Spain's Rodrigo Rato, steps down in October.
British finance minister, Alistair Darling, said yesterday
Strauss-Kahn was a credible candidate but London wanted others.
A British spokesman sought to play down the deal, saying the
backing in Brussels for the Frenchman was not formal.
France already holds three top international economic posts.
Pascal Lamy heads the World Trade Organization, Jean-Claude Trichet
runs the European Central Bank and Jean Lemierre is boss of the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Out of the nine IMF managing directors so far three have been
French and one was German. There was also one Spaniard, one
Dutchman, one Belgian and two Swedes.
Poland's candidate, Marek Belka, received little support.
(China Daily via agencies July 11, 2007)
