WORLD / America
John Bolton quits UN post
(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-05 08:55
WASHINGTON: Unable to win Senate confirmation, UN Ambassador John Bolton
will step down when his temporary appointment expires within weeks, the
White House said Monday.
US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton speaks after the UN Security Council
voted to require Iran to stop its nuclear program, at the United Nations
in New York in this July 31, 2006 file photo. Facing opposition from key
senators, US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will leave
office in a matter of days, the White House announced on December 4,
2006. [Reuters]
Bolton's nomination has languished in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee for more than a year, blocked by Democrats and several
Republicans. Sen. Lincoln Chafee, a moderate Republican who lost in the
elections Nov. 7 that swept Democrats to power in both houses of
Congress, was adamantly opposed to Bolton.
Critics have questioned Bolton's brusque style and whether he could be an
effective public servant who could help bring reform to the UN.
President George W.Bush posed for pictures with Bolton and commented
curtly on his departure. "I received the resignation of Ambassador John
Bolton. I accepted. I'm not happy about it. I think he deserved to be
confirmed."
"They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys majority
support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our
diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time," Bush said earlier in
a written statement. "This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our
country, and discourages men and women of talent from serving their
nation."
Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat who lost to Bush in the 2004 presidential
election, said Bolton's departure could be a turning point for the
administration.
"With the Middle East on the verge of chaos and the nuclear threats from
Iran and North Korea increasing, we need a United Nations ambassador who
has the full support of Congress and can help rally the international
community to tackle the serious threats we face," Kerry said. He said it
was an opportunity for Bush to nominate an ambassador "who enjoys the
support necessary to unite our country and the world and who can put
results ahead of ideology."
Bush gave Bolton the job temporarily in August 2005, while Congress was
in recess. Under that process, the appointment expires when Congress
formally adjourns, no later than early January.
The White House resubmitted Bolton's nomination last month. But with
Democrats capturing control of the next Congress, his chances of winning
confirmation appeared slight. The incoming chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden, said he saw "no point in
considering Mr. Bolton's nomination again."
While Bush could not give Bolton another recess appointment, the White
House was believed to be exploring other ways of keeping him in the job,
perhaps by giving him a title other than ambassador. But Bolton informed
the White House he intended to leave when his current appointment
expires, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said.
Bush said he accepted Bolton's decision with deep regret.
"He served his country with extraordinary dedication and skill,
assembling coalitions that addressed some of the most consequential
issues facing the international community," the president said. "During
his tenure, he articulately advocated the positions and values of the
United States and advanced the expansion of democracy and liberty.
Bolton, who pushed strongly for UN reform, has had strained relations
with many in the UN Secretariat, led by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and
has repeatedly called for all top UN officials to leave when Annan steps
down as UN chief on Dec. 31 and is replaced by Ban Ki-moon.
"I think Ambassador Bolton did the job he was expected to do," Annan said
Monday when asked about Bolton's resignation. "He came at a time when we
had lots of tough issues from reform to issues on Iran and North Korea. I
think as a representative of the US, government, he pressed ahead with
the instructions he had been given and tried to work as effectively as he
could."
Highlights of John Bolton's career.
- Appointed by President George W. Bush as US Ambassador to the United
Nations on August 1, 2005, bypassing the normal process of congressional
approval after it was blocked by senators unhappy with Bolton's record.
- Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
from May 2001 to May 2005, where he worked on nuclear proliferation
issues.
- Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations from 1989
to 1993 under President George H.W. Bush, and frequently visited the
United Nations before and after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
- Assistant Attorney General, US Department of Justice, 1985 to 1989, He
had previously held posts at the US Agency for International Development
and worked as an attorney at law firms in Washington as well as serving
as vice president of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
- Born in Baltimore on November 20, 1948, Bolton graduated summa cum
laude from Yale University and later received his law degree from Yale.
- He is married to the former Gretchen Smith, a financial consultant, and
has one daughter.
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