Merkel wishes European to be next IMF chief

May 19th, 2011 - 8:00 pm ICT by IANS  

Berlin, May 19 (IANS) German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday she wants a European to be the next leader of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

“My opinion is that we should nominate a European candidate,” Merkel said. “I will not name any person but will discuss it within the European Union. It is very important that we can find a solution quickly.”

Frenchman Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned as IMF chief Wednesday, saying he wants to devote “all his energy” to fighting sexual assault charges in New York.

Strauss-Kahn’s resignation heated up cross-border debate over his successor, with Europe aggressively staking its traditional claim to the job to ensure that Europe’s debt crisis is given priority.

Merkel acknowledged that some emerging countries have their nominator, but the IMF has been deeply involved in solving the debt crisis of the euro area and needs a European to direct the agency.

South Africa Wednesday gave a call to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to select somebody from the developing world as its new chief.

“Institutions such as the IMF must reform so that they can become credible, and to be credible they must represent the interests and fully reflect the voices of all countries, not just a few industrialized nations,” Wall Street Journal quoted South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan as saying in a statement.

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