The US president George Bush has defied world opinion by nominating Paul Wolfowitz to take over as head of the World Bank.

As Deputy Defense Secretary Mr Wolfowitz's neo-Conservative views were influential in planning and executing the invasion of Iraq, alienating world opinion.

Speaking at a press conference today Mr Bush told reporters he thought Mr Wolfowitz would be a "strong president" of the 184-member institution.

"He is a skilled diplomat. Paul is committed to development. He is a compassionate, decent man, who will do a fine job in the World Bank," Mr Bush said.

The selection follows Mr Bush’s controversial decision to nominate John Bolton, another leading administration hawk, to be America's ambassador to the United Nations.

The World Bank is looking to replace James Wolfensohn, who is stepping down on June 1, at the end of his second five-year term.

Mr Bush’s choice of Mr Wolfowitz must still be ratified by other World Bank members, a process that could prove unusually contentious.

Mr Wolfowitz, 61, is a deeply controversial figure in Europe having earned a reputation for being a foreign policy hawk with the view that America should use its superpower status to push for reforms in other nations.

He was prominent in arguing that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and predicted that American forces would be welcomed as liberators rather than occupiers.

He has also been a frequent target of criticism from congressional Democrats for what they called his "rosy", assessments of the war. Before the invasion, he assured Congress: "We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon."

A conservative scholar, Mr Wolfowitz, has served as dean and professor of international relations at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of The Johns Hopkins University.

Supporters of Mr Wolfowitz say he is suited for the World Bank post and pointed to his management experiences at the Pentagon and his diplomatic experience at the State Department. He had served as assistant secretary of State for east Asia during the Philippine transition to democracy.

Mr Wolfensohn, an Australian who became American to take the job, was appointed by President Bill Clinton. But he frequently clashed with Mr Bush’s Treasury Department, which decided it was time for a change.

America is the World Bank's biggest shareholder and traditionally the institution has an American president. Its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, is usually headed by a European.

In a poll of Times Online readers conducted in early March, Bono, the lead singer of U2 and global anti-poverty campaigner, was the popular choice to replace Mr Wolfensohn with 55 per cent of the vote. Carly Fiorina, the former head of H-P, was second with 10 per cent.

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