Last month?s shooting of a World Bank staff driver in Iraq will not deter the agency?s plan to increase staff there. “We are in many countries and Iraq is not an exception. We define our offices in each country according to our programs,” World Bank Managing Director Juan Jose Daboub said. He also denied allegations that the bank tried to cover up the incident in view of the bank?s intent to raise the number of staff from 9 to 11 and name a new country director for the war-torn nation. “We are not hiding anything. The bank has previously worked in many such countries, and currently have two offices in Sudan,” the former finance minister of El Salvador remarked, adding that donor countries and the Iraqi government both insist on the proposed expansion, with the former wanting assurance that foreign aid is properly spent and the latter seeking the restoration of basic services. (Source: World Bank to boost Iraq presence despite shooting/Reuters)
