at the Secretariat of State for the Treasury

Sleight game between business Goldman Sachs Bank and the administration of Republican President George w. Bush continues. This time, it is Robert Zoellick, the number two of American diplomacy, which yesterday announced his resignation and his arrival at the powerful American institution.

Now 52 years old, Robert Zoellick had joined the State Department in February 2005 as an Assistant to Condoleezza Rice after four years as a trade representative. His arrival at the American business bank comes barely three weeks after the announcement of the departure of the President and CEO of Goldman Sachs, Henry Paulson... at the Secretariat of State for the Treasury. A position that Robert Zoellick would indeed coveted.

Goldman Sachs, Robert Zoellick will occupy the function of "managing director" and Vice President in charge of the international, officially beginning in September. As such, he will chair the network of international advisers to the American firm.

"A central role."

Robert Zoellick "will play a central role in the expansion of the Bank in continental Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia", emphasized yesterday a spokesman for the Bank.

The new "Rookie" of the first business bank, Robert Zoellick, comes at a time where it is strengthening its leadership after the departure of its CEO, Henry Paulson. Goldman Sachs has thus to elect Sunday no less than three of its members so that they can support its new CEO Lloyd Blankfein, age of fifty years, which has him, made a career in the activities of "trading" of the institution. A climb which dedicated the rise of this trade at the American Business Bank.

The former right arm of Henry Paulson will now flanked by a Vice-President, John s. Weinberg, and assisted by two number two, Gary Cohn and Jon Winkelried. The institution therefore having a de facto Executive Board. "The trio work with CEO appointed to decide and implement the overall strategy of the Bank", said the group, just display record half-year results ("Les Echos" from June 14) yesterday. Two new two numbers have a very different profile. Gary Cohn, forty five years old, is a former "trader" on raw. Become responsible for the Goldman Sachs metals division, he then took the direction of trades shares of the Bank. Jon Winkelried, forty six years old, on the other hand is a business banker.

The choice

Entered at Goldman Sachs in the year 1982, Jon Winkelried, for its part, took the co-directorship of the activities of rates and exchange rates before that of the Bank of investment last year. Finally, third appointment, John s. Weinberg, the other co-leading the Investment Bank, was appointed Vice-President of the Board of Directors, a function that did not previously exist. Forty-eight years, John s. Weinberg is the son of John l. Weinberg and the grandson of Sidney Weinberg, who led Goldman Sachs. With these appointments, two activities of the Bank, the Council in mergers and acquisitions and the intervention on the markets for account of third parties or for own account, will be represented at the Directorate. Above all, Goldman Sachs should have only the embarrassment of the choice to find a successor to Lloyd Blankfein. "There will be two or more persons to succeed Blankfein", commented yesterday on an analyst.