Mario Blejer being considered to head Israel central bank: official

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A former head of Argentina’s central bank, Mario Blejer, will meet Israel’s prime minister and finance minister on Monday to discuss him possibly becoming governor of the Bank of Israel, an Israeli government official said.

The present governor, Karnit Flug, has said she will not seek a second term after her five-year tenure ends in November.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Israeli media reports that Blejer was scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.

Spokespeople for Netanyahu and Kahlon declined to comment on a meeting with Blejer, who had also been tipped as a possibility for heading the Bank of Israel in 2013.

Israeli newspapers have reported on other names being considered for the job as well, including Zvi Eckstein, a former deputy Bank of Israel governor, Nathan Sussman, who until recently headed the central bank’s research department, and banking regulator Hedva Ber.

Blejer worked in senior positions at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank before a brief stint as president of Argentina’s central bank during the country’s economic crisis in 2002. He stepped down after a disagreement with the economy minister.

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