Possible Wolfowitz successors floated

WASHINGTON, May 9 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick is being touted as a possible replacement for Paul Wolfowitz, the embattled World Bank president.

Zoellick -- a managing director and vice chairman of New York investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and a former U.S. trade representative -- "would be a good candidate," an international development specialist told The Washington Times.

Zoellick has an advantage over other possible candidates because he was not involved in the military end of U.S. foreign policy, the newspaper reported Wednesday. At the same time, widespread international opposition to U.S. policies and the "stink from the administration" could hurt Zoellick's chances, the newspaper said.

Other floated names include Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert Kimmitt, a former U.S. ambassador to Germany; Goldman Sachs Managing Director Robert Hormats, a former assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs; and U.N. Development Program Administrator Kemal Dervis, a former Turkish minister for economic affairs.

Wolfowitz has come under a barrage of criticism for arranging a pay raise and promotion for his companion, Shaha Riza. His status is expected to be taken up by the World Bank's board next week.