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Wednesday, Mar 09, 2005

International

International

U.S. envoy is sharp critic of U.N.

By Farah Stockman

WASHINGTON, MARCH8. The U.S. President, George Bush, on Monday nominated Undersecretary of State John Bolton, one of the administration's sharpest critics of the United Nations, to be the next U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. in a move that officials said signals Washington's desire to play a leading role in reshaping the 59-year-old institution.

Mr. Bolton, who once said that the U.N. "does not exist'' and that "it would not make a bit of difference'' if the U.N. building in New York lost 10 of its 38 stories, would succeed John Danforth, a soft-spoken former Senator from Missouri.

In announcing the nomination, the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said Mr. Bolton, currently the Undersecretary for Arms Control, "will be a strong voice for reform.''

Speaking after Ms. Rice, the 56-year-old Bolton acknowledged having "written critically about the U.N.'' and pledged to help improve the world body, which is already under pressure after a string of scandals and proposals to overhaul its governing structure.

"This is a time of opportunity for the U.N. which, likewise, requires American leadership to achieve successful reform,'' he said.

Mr. Bolton, who is likely to face tough questioning from the minority Democrats at his confirmation hearings, is well known for his hawkish stance on Iran and North Korea, and for engineering the U.S. pullback from some international treaties, including the biological weapons ban and the nuclear test-ban treaty. He has also led the Bush administration's effort to oust Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

@ New York Times News Service

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