Gordon Brown at the weekend quashed speculation that Tony Blair could take over as president of the World Bank when he leaves Downing Street next month.
In his first comments on the departure amid scandal of Paul Wolfowitz from the World Bank job, the chancellor said it was almost certain the next head of the Washington-based bank would be American.
"There is a long history of a European being MD of the IMF and an American nominee being president of the World Bank," he said at a meeting of G8 finance ministers in Germany.
Mr Brown went out of his way to praise Mr Wolfowitz, adding: "I think whatever has happened in the last few weeks should not detract from the huge effort he made to put the needs of the poorest countries at the centre of the whole world's agenda."
Max Lawson of Oxfam said the weakness of the Europeans was disappointing: "The World Bank as an institution is seriously damaged and won't be salvaged by appointing yet another US appointee."
Mr Brown said he was trying to push his G8 colleagues to make good on the promises of extra aid for poor countries made at the Gleneagles summit in Scotland two years ago. Recent figures revealed that while Britain and Japan are on track to meet their share of a $50bn (£25bn) increase in overseas aid promised by 2010, other G8 countries such as Germany, Italy and France have fallen way behind.
"We have got to do better. All countries must play their part in meeting the objectives for aid," he said, adding that the next few months would see announcements of funds for health, education and infrastructure projects in poor countries to boost their ability to import and export goods.
Aid campaign group Data, set up by rock star Bono, said Germany needed to spend an additional €700m (£480m) in Africa this year, rising to €2.8bn more in 2010. Data's European director Oliver Buston said the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, had just weeks to deliver on the country's promise before the Heiligendamm summit next month. "This meeting has seen G8 ministers maintain their collective state of denial about being off track on aid," he said.
He contrasted this with China's announcement last week that it would give Africa an additional $20bn over the next three years. "China is not a good partner for Africa in every sense but it does keep its word on the cash."
Ministers are concerned that China's lending to Africa could undermine the continent after the west has spent recent years writing off many African countries' debts. But China's absence from the G8 exposes the group's diminishing authority in a rapidly changing global economic map, say critics.
