Wolfensohn meets Azizah Ismail

Sat, 15 May 1999 | Source: REUTERS

LANGKAWI, Malaysia (Reuters): World Bank president James Wolfensohn said on Friday he met the wife of Malaysia's jailed former finance minister Anwar Ibrahim as a gesture of friendship unrelated to Malaysian domestic politics.

Wolfensohn told reporters on the Malaysian island of Langkawi when asked about his 30-minute meeting on Thursday with Azizah Ismail.

Azizah's meeting with Wolfensohn at Kuala Lumpur's airport was the latest in a series of visits with prominent foreign figures since Anwar was sacked from government, and was expected to irritate Malaysian authorities.

As finance minister, Anwar established strong ties with many global financial leaders before he was sacked and arrested in September.

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