WASHINGTON -- World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz pledged Tuesday to make "major changes" in the way his office operates as he fights to keep his job for arranging a lucrative compensation package for his girlfriend.
The fresh overture — made in a message to the bank's staff — comes as a special panel at the bank is investigating Wolfowitz' handling of the promotion of bank employee Shaha Riza to a high-paying job at the State Department in 2005. The memo was read to The Associated Press by a bank official not authorized to speak on the record.
The World Bank's 24-member board will ultimately decide what action, if any, to take. The controversy has provoked allegations of favoritism from staff and prompted calls for Wolfowitz to step down. Wolfowitz has acknowledged making a mistake, has apologized and has said he won't resign.
In his message to employees, Wolfowitz reached out to the bank's vice presidents for feedback on management changes. He didn't give specifics.
"I will be finding ways to consult them as a collective sounding board for finalizing major changes in the way my office and the senior management team work in order to address the concerns that have emerged in my discussions over the past few days," Wolfowitz said in the message.
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Critics fear the flap has tarnished the institution — which fights global poverty — and threatens to hinder the bank's ability to raise close to $30 billion from donor countries to help poor countries, many of which are in Africa.
Wolfowitz praised the staff for their development work and asked them to be patient.
"You have all been working very hard, and I assure you that the management team and our development partners are proud of your efforts in these difficult circumstances," he said. "I understand the importance of coming to closure in a timely manner on the issue involving me and would ask for your continued patience in allowing time for the board to do its work."
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