Finding Wolfowitz successor will take time: US

CRAWFORD: The White House said on Monday that it would take time for US President George W. Bush to settle on his choice to succeed World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz.   

"I said that we intend to move quickly on this and we do, but it will be a process," spokesman Tony Fratto told reporters as Bush spent a long weekend on his Texas ranch.

"I'm not expecting (it will be done in) days."   

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is helming the effort to find a successor for Wolfowitz, talking to other major World Bank shareholders and "other interested groups" before giving his advice to Bush, said Fratto.   

According to accepted practice, dating back to the creation of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund at the end of World War II, the US president picks the World Bank chief.   

Wolfowitz said he would step down on June 30 in the "best interests" of the bank following weeks of pressure over a generous pay and promotion package he arranged for his girlfriend, a bank employee.