Brasília, March 9, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Horst Köhler, will be a candidate for President of Germany. Therefore, new names are being considered for the post.

So far, the chief names are those of the British Minister of Economy, Gordon Brown, and Rodrigo Rato, from Spain. The French also have two favorites: Jean Lemierre, current president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Pascal Lamy, the European Commissioner of Trade.

Since 1944, when the IMF was created, an agreement in principle has established that the director of the Fund should be a European, while the president of the World Bank should be an American. However, the gentlemen's agreement could be broken with the nomination of a figure from the emerging world.

Brazil has an interest in the nomination, because it is one of the international organism's three largest debtors.

This information comes from Radio France International. (DAS)