US leadership still key: WB chief

Amid a global debate about who should succeed him as World Bank president, Robert Zoellick said Friday that it is important for U.S. candidates to get top leadership roles in international institutions if the world wants to keep Washington supporting them.The 187-nation World Bank has been led by an American since its founding in 1944, while its sister lending organization, the International Monetary Fund, has always been headed by a European.After Zoellick announced he would step down in June, some developing countries appealed for an end to the U.S. hold on the top job at the international development organization that gives low-interest loans to developing countries.While declining to address who should succeed him, Zoellick said he often finds himself fighting against critics inside the United States who want to distance Washington from global institutions.No American has ever led the IMF, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization or any regional development bank, he said.I would just suggest, if you want to keep the United States engaged in multilateral organizations, keep openings somewhere. Because the issue that I have to deal with is keeping the United States supporting some of these organizations, he said.Last week, President Barack Obama nominated Jim Yong Kim, an American, to replace Zoellick. The other candidates are Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and former Colombian Finance Minister Jose Antonio Ocampo.