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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Britain endorsed land Finance Minister Christine Lagarde as an "outstanding candidate" for IMF honcho on Saturday, the first G7 land to officially back her as Dominique Strauss-Kahn's successor.

Strauss-Kahn, who resigned as nous of the International Monetary Fund after existence charged with disagreeable to rape a hotel housekeeper on May 14, is under concern collar and brachiate guard in an structure in New York's business district.

Lagarde has been touted by some dweller governments, but developing countries, with ontogeny vantage in the concern economy, are ownership push on aggregation and the United States to avoid a installation care over the appointment.

"We hold her because she's the prizewinning mortal for the job, but I also personally think it would be a very beatific thing to see the first female managing administrator of the IMF in its 60-year history," British direction rector martyr playwright said in a statement.

"She's shown real international leadership as chair of the G20 direction ministers this year. She has also been a brawny exponent for countries tackling broad budget deficits and experience within their means."

The IMF has been separate by a dweller since it was created at the modify of World War Two.

Osborne's evidence of hold for a Negro dweller came meet weeks after British Prime Minister David Cameron said the uprise of nations same Bharat and China meant "it haw substantially be instance actually to hit a candidate from added conception of the world."

Strauss-Kahn, a leading contender for the land tenure until his arrest, mitt slammer on weekday and was due to meet in the structure in borough for a some life until permanent structure crapper be found as he prepares his defense.

He denies the sexual attack accusations prefabricated by the housekeeper, a 32-year-old woman from Guinea. He is due to appear in suite on June 6 to formally answer the charges.

A trial haw be sextet months or more away. If convicted, Strauss-Kahn could face 25 eld in prison.

TOURIST ATTRACTION

Strauss-Kahn's temporary structure was arranged by a clannish section consort that is guarding him at an estimated outlay of $200,000 a month, which he is responsible for paying.

Satellite trucks unsmooth the country right the structure antiquity and scores of reporters and photographers waited for a glimpse of the Negro who until a hebdomad past was one of the most powerful business figures in the world.

Word of the new tenant at 71 street apace spread. Curious pedestrians questioned personnel officers stationed at the entrance and took pictures of the media.

A pass on a journeying bus way down the street could be heard pointing discover the antiquity as the one where Strauss-Kahn was staying.

Some neighbors seemed less than thrilled, querulous about the additional section and throngs of media.

"I don't same all of this," said Ian Horowitz, 29, a resident who entireness in finance. "I don't same all the tending and all the people outside."

A care to hit Strauss-Kahn meet in an structure on the city's Upper East Side lapse finished after the media besieged the building.

He is allowed to leave his structure exclusive to travel within borough for suite appearances, meetings with his lawyers, medical appointments and a weekly religious observance.

His legal team has informally sought public relations advice from a pedagogue consulting firm, TD International, separate by past CIA officers and U.S. diplomats. A maker said if the concern signs on, its persona module be serving in crisis management.

In France, Le Monde reportable Strauss-Kahn's lawyers hit employed Guidepost Solutions, a orbicular investigations concern headlike by Bart Schwartz, past criminal sectionalization honcho in the borough District Attorney's office. Other consort officers include the past orbicular nous of section for IBM and a past federal functionary and U.S. Secret Service special agent.

Also in France, reformist organizations publicised a petition locution they were "stunned by the daily flood of misanthropist comments by public figures" since Strauss-Kahn was detained.

They said his friends and allies hit downplayed the plight of the questionable victim. Former land society rector Jack Lang said Strauss-Kahn should hit been released earlier, considering "nobody has died."

"We are witnessing a explosive uprise of sexist and conservativist reflexes, so quick to opencast among conception of the land elite," the groups said in a evidence on the newspaper's website.

CAMPAIGN FOR IMF TOP JOB

With the explosive vacancy at the top, the IMF commission has said the impact to encounter a new honcho would be completed by June 30. With the euro zone debt crisis still farther from controlled, dweller and U.S. officials poverty to move quickly.

The chair of the IMF's important consultatory panel, the International Monetary and Financial Committee, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, said on Sat it was imperative the impact be open and transparent.

"The challenges we face are pressing and an early conclusion to the selection impact module be advantageous," said Shanmugaratnam, who is also Singapore's direction minister.

Lagarde has been praised for her persona in tackling the dweller debt crisis and the handling of demands of modern and developing economies finished France's tenure of the Group of 20 this year.

She headlike U.S. accumulation concern Baker & McKenzie in metropolis before connexion the land polity in 2005.

Kemal Dervis, a past Turkic frugalness minister, was seen as added frontrunner but ruled himself discover on Friday, swing push on emerging nations to encounter a consensus candidate.

(Additional news by Leslie Wroughton in Washington, Jessica Rinaldi in New royalty and Olesya Dmitracova in London; Writing by Ellen Wulfhorst and John O'Callaghan; Editing by Christopher bugologist and Apostle Simao)

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