In mid-June, Ana Palacio was appointed General Counsel, replacing Roberto Dañino who left the Bank in January rumoured to be unhappy with Wolfowitz’s leadership (Update 49). Palacio worked with a private law firm and spent eight years at the European Parliament. She served as Spanish foreign minister in the People’s Party government of José María Aznar overseeing the controversial decision to support the US-led invasion of Iraq. In her appointment, Wolfowitz cited Palacio’s experience “strengthening ties with Middle East nations”. In mid-July, World Bank vice president for the Human Development Network (HDN), Jean-Louis Sarbib, retired. The current director of network operations in the HDN, Nicholas Krafft, will serve as acting vice president.