2007-07-07 18:33:19 -

PARIS (AP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants a former finance minister from the opposition Socialist Party to lead the International Monetary Fund, he said in an interview released Saturday.
«I want Dominique Strauss-Kahn to be France's candidate for the direction of the IMF because he seems the most fit for the post,» Sarkozy was

quoted as saying in the Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
Sarkozy, a conservative, said he had presented Strauss-Kahn's candidacy to U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
The post will soon be vacant after Spaniard Rodrigo Rato's surprise announcement that he was stepping down to spend more time with his family. Traditionally, a European has served as the managing director of the IMF and an American as president of the World Bank.
«It's a very coveted post. To gain it, one must have strong credibility, incontestable experience, be multilingual. Dominique Strauss-Kahn has these qualities,» Sarkozy said.

Sarkozy defended his choice to reach across party lines, as he has done in forming his government as well, and said he and Strauss-Kahn, who is considered a moderate, «have the same vision of the way the IMF functions.
«Should I deprive France of his candidacy because he is a Socialist? How could I be the president of all the French if I reasoned like that?» he was quoted as saying.
Sarkozy will be able to discuss the IMF vacancy with European finance ministers when he joins them for their monthly meeting in Brussels on Monday.