WASHINGTON (AP) - Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said Sunday he will stay on the job, carrying out the bank's mission to reduce poverty around the world.
'The bank has important work to do and I will continue to do it,' he said at a news conference winding up a meeting of the steering committee for the bank and the International Monetary Fund.
There have been calls for Wolfowitz to resign as the head of the 185-nation lending organization over his involvement in a huge pay increase awarded to a close female friend.
The committee said the issue was 'of great concern to us all' and called on the bank's board that is looking into the matter to complete its work.
'We have to ensure that the bank can effectively carry out its mandate and maintain its credibility and reputation as well as the motivation of its staff,' the committee said.
In answering questions about whether he should step down, Wolfowitz referred several times to the committee's statement and said he did not want any comments he made to get in the way of the board's work.
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