The US president has chosen Robert Zoellick, a former US trade representative, to become the new president of the World Bank after Paul Wolfowitz steps down from the post, a senior US official says.

George Bush will announce his selection on Wednesday and expects the bank's board to accept it, the administration official said on Tuesday.

Zoellick's experience in finance and diplomacy "make him uniquely prepared to take on this challenge," the official said.

Wolfowitz recently announced he would step down from the presidency of the World Bank on June 30, amid discord prompted by his overseeing of a pay package for his girlfriend.

Zoellick, 53, was involved in the launch the Doha round of world trade talks, and later served as deputy secretary of state.

He became the Bush administration's point person on China policy and Darfur, before leaving the government to join investment firm Goldman Sachs last year.

"He has the trust and respect of many officials around the world and believes deeply in the World Bank's mission of tackling poverty," the administration official added.

The official said Zoellick had received "positive reactions" from other countries.

Despite appeals from World Bank member countries and some US politicians to throw the process open to candidates from other countries, Bush stood firm on his wish to appoint an American to the post.

The appointment to the bank's presidency of a consensus individual is crucial, after the furore over Wolfowitz's authorisation of a pay raise for his girlfriend Shaha Riza.

The incident increased opposition from many bank staff already unhappy with his leadership.

Henry Paulson, the US treasury secretary and also formerly from Goldman Sachs, led efforts to find Wolfowitz's successor.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. President George W. Bush (L) speaks next to former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick at the White House in Washington in this May 8, 2006 file photo.

Reuters