BRITAIN: Tony Blair was sounded out on the candidacy of Paul Wolfowitz to lead the World Bank before the White House announced his nomination, but did not share the controversial proposal with cabinet colleagues or fellow European leaders.
The British prime minister was informed about Mr Wolfowitz's possible candidacy and relayed to Washington that he would not oppose him. The issue was raised with Mr Blair when Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, visited London last month, according to two senior US officials close to the proceedings.
Mr Blair's discreet support gave President George Bush the confidence to know that Mr Wolfowitz, the deputy defence secretary and an outspoken advocate of the war in Iraq, would not face united opposition from the World Bank's European shareholders.
But by honouring Mr Bush's need for discretion, Mr Blair chose to keep news of the candidacy from Gordon Brown, the British chancellor of the exchequer, who is also the chairman of the International Monetary Fund's governing body and the European finance minister most closely identified with the development agenda.
A senior Bush administration official familiar with the White House effort to recruit Mr Wolfowitz declined to comment on what was described as British "inter-agency disputes".
While the details of Dr Rice's private conversations with the British prime minister remain tightly held, officials and diplomats on both sides of the Atlantic have said they were aware of Mr Bush's effort to secure the support of his chief European ally.
The British treasury, foreign office and officials in other European capitals remained in the dark. One British official admits: "The treasury was not in the loop."
The World Bank presidential nomination is seen as a White House decision and Washington chose to garner support for Mr Bush's choice by contacting European leaders directly, rather than by lobbying finance ministries and development agencies.
Unlike Mr Blair, some European leaders were not given advance warning. Both Jacques Chirac, the French president, and Gerhard Schröder, the German chancellor, only spoke to Mr Bush after the announcement.
Development and finance officials in Europe have voiced concern about Mr Wolfowitz, partly because of his role in the Iraq war and partly due to his lack of financial and development experience.
However, EU leaders, eager to return to a functioning relationship with Washington, have made it clear they will not stand in the way of the Wolfowitz candidacy.