Something was up. Earlier, Reuters had the following reports:
Wolfowitz told to stay away from meeting
“World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is not welcome at an Africa forum the bank is holding in Berlin next week if he is still in his post at the time, German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said.
Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Wednesday, the minister said she did not want the issue of the World Bank’s leadership to distract from a discussion of development aid for Africa at the two-day meeting which begins on Monday.”
and “Germany slams Wolfowitz as bank board meets”
Next came the Reuters news banner “World bank board meeting postponed to 2:30 PM at request of Whitehouse” (link removed)
But the Financial Times reports,
White House close to conceding on Wolfowitz
This from Steve Clemons
Wolfowitz Appears to be Heading Towards Face-Saving Exit Deal
“World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz pleaded for a second chance and offered to dump his gaggle of advisers who followed him to the Bank from the Bush administration.
But senior officials report to me that the damage is too deep at this point and that there is no conceivable strategy of helping the Bank return to a credible position without a complete shift in management.
Every account I have thus far from those close to Bank Executive Directors report that a deal is now being negotiated for Wolfowitz to resign, but in a “face-saving way.” The deal should be completed by this evening.”
and from ABC News The Blotter
Wolfowitz to Resign This Afternoon?
Can we make it a two-fer? Later. There’s no deal
REUTERS JUST IN:
Wolfowitz will not resign from World Bank: lawyer
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz will not resign under the current “cloud” and would rather push the matter to a vote of the bank’s board to clear his name, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
“Mr. Wolfowitz will not resign under this cloud and he will rather put this matter to a full vote,” Wolfowitz’s lawyer, Robert Bennett, told Reuters.”
BBC and NPR reporting World Bank Board deliberation will resume tomorrow, Thursday.