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Wolfowitz vows to stay on at World Bank

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Paul Wolfowitz said Sunday he has no plans to step down as president of the World Bank, despite questions about his handling of the promotion of his girlfriend to a job at the U.S. State Department.

"This is important work, and I intend to continue it," he told reporters after 2 1/2 days of meetings of bank officials.

Asked whether he can still lead the bank effectively, he said he had had "many expressions of support."

"I believe in the mission of this organization; I believe I can carry it out," he said.

Wolfowitz's comments came two days after he got a vote of confidence from the White House and three days after he apologized for his role in brokering an agreement that sent his girlfriend, a World Bank staffer, off to a new job at the State Department with a hefty pay increase.

The bank's board of directors is looking into the matter, he said, "and we will let them complete their work," he said Sunday. He deflected questions about whether he should resign, telling reporters, "I'm not going to preempt what they are doing by by getting into a discussion of it here."

Wolfowitz became the World Bank's president after serving as deputy defense secretary from 2001-2005. During that period, he was a leading architect of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and a lightning rod for criticism of the Bush administration.

Friday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush, who nominated Wolfowitz to the post, still "has full confidence" in him.

"He's done a remarkable job at the World Bank, where they are working to lift people up out of poverty from around the world," Perino said. "He's apologized for the matter."

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