CANADA'S RESPONSE TO ZOELLICK'S NOMINATION

UNCLAS OTTAWA 001062 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAN AND EEB/IFD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN IBRD SUBJECT: CANADA'S RESPONSE TO ZOELLICK'S NOMINATION REF: STATE 73691 ¶1. (U) EconMinCouns delivered points in reftel to officials in the Prime Minister's Office, Finance Canada, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Because Secretary Paulson had already consulted with Canada's Minister of Finance Flaherty on Zoellick's nomination, all of the officials contacted by the Embassy were aware of the nomination. Canada will not make a final decision on whether to support the President's nomination of Zoellick until the end of the nomination period, but all officials reacted positively to the information about Zoellick. John Sloan, Director General, Economic Policy Bureau, DFAIT, called Zoellick a results-oriented leader with an impressive track record. Sloan said Zoellick clearly has the background that people will be looking for in a candidate to lead the World Bank. ¶2. (U) Sloan also said he hopes that the nomination of Zoellick is the first step towards a more open selection process for the leaders of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. He said Canada would like to see a process that selects the best candidate for the job regardless of nationality. ¶3. (U) Reftel points were delivered to the following Canadian officials: Mark Cameron, Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister John Sloan, Director General, Economic Policy Bureau, DFAIT Laird Hindle, Economic Policy Officer, Economic Policy Bureau, DFAIT David Sevigny, Director, International Policy and Institutions Division, Finance Canada Visit our shared North American Partnership blog (Canada & Mexico) at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap WILKINS