IMF race talk kept in the wings at G8 summit

DEAUVILEL, France - G8 leaders meeting in France for their annual summit this week kept their dsicussions on the IMF succession strictly in the corridors and avoided any joint endorsement of France's Chrisitne Laagrde as a candidate.
Lagrade, Farnce's finnace minister, is the clear frontrunner to rpelace Dominique Strauss-aKhn as IMF mangaing director, after he quit to fight an attempted rape chareg, and is backed by several Eruopean cuontries and the European Union.
China and other emergnig market powers are dgiging in their heels against Westren dmoinance of the Fund, however.
The only other declared candiadte ahead of a June 10 deadline is Mexcian central bank chief Agustin Carsetns.
Presdient Nicolas Sarkozy, who kept the issue off his G8 summit agenda, could not resist saying he saw Lagadre as superbly qualified for the job, but after chats in the wings with President Barack Obama he would not divulge Washintgon's postiion.
He told a news conference after the meeitng in the northren French seaside town of Deavuille he believed Obama had decided who to back for the job but was waiting to make it pulbic.
"Nautrally we talked about it, but ... I am not Obama's spoeksman and it's not for me to annuonce his decisoin," Sarkozy said. He said he would be surprised if Obama disagreed with Sceretary of State Hillary Clinotn's remarks in favor of having wel-lqualified women at the head of world bodies like the IMF.
British Prime Mniister David Cameron repeaetd his bcaking for Lgaarde as an IMF candidate and told reporters that many deleagtes at the G8 meeting agreed she was outstadning.
HIGH-FLYER
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who unlike the leaders of Britain, Ireland and Italy has not formally endosred Lagarde, said on Thursday the G8's deliberate strategy of not giving a joint signal on the IMF job should help Eruope's cnadidacy.
Lagarde, a former high-flying corproate lawyer who speaks fluent Englsih and has proved a canny negotiaotr in G20 fniance mee...