WASHINGTON - Robert Zoellick, the sole candidate for the presidency of the World Bank, was interviewed Wednesday by the development lender's executive board, a bank official told AFP.

During an "informal" meeting that last four hours, the US nominee and board members "discussed issues related to strategic directions, leadership, corporate governance, multilateral environment and independence of the bank," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Zoellick and the board "will not meet tomorrow but bilateral meetings will continue," he said.

The 24-member board will meet again Monday to continue the selection process, he added, without providing further details.

Zoellick, 53, a vice chairman at Wall Street powerhouse investment bank Goldman Sachs and a former US deputy secretary of state, is the only candidate proposed to succeed World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz, who was forced to announce his resignation last month in a favoritism scandal.

He is due to step down on June 30.

Under an unwritten agreement, the United States chooses the head of the World Bank and European countries select the leader of its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund.

- AFP /ls