–Adds German Reaction To Story Sent At 07:43 GMT
PARIS/BERLIN (MNI) – German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble
supports the nomination of Bank of Italy Governor Mario Draghi to
succeed Jean-Claude Trichet as president of the European Central Bank,
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde revealed Friday.
Asked in a radio interview whether in fact German Chancellor Angela
Merkel had signaled to French President Nicolas Sarkozy that she would
sign on with the French in backing Draghi, Lagarde declined to confirm
the rumor.
“But…my colleague Wolfgang Schaeuble is in favor of this
nomination,” Lagarde said. “He considers that [Draghi] has all the
qualities necessary to make a good president of the ECB.”
Lagarde noted that well informed observers expect Merkel to give
the nod as well. “Madame Merkel has said she will make her opinion known
in June,” she said. “I hope we will know a bit before.”
A German Finance Ministry spokesman on Friday would not confirm
that Schaeuble backs Draghi. He reminded that Trichet will not step
down until October. “The government will weigh in in time,” he said.
The German weekly Der Spiegel reported Friday that Merkel is
against Draghi becoming the next ECB president. Instead, she wants to
propose that Draghi succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn when his term ends as
executive managing director of the International Monetary Fund, the
magazine said, without citing sources.
While Merkel appreciates Draghi’s professional qualifications, she
fears that an ECB president from a highly indebted country like Italy
would not go down well with the German public, Der Spiegel said.
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