John Bolton’s bashing of efforts to reform the United Nations is finally getting some high-priced attention.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has asked Condoleeza Rice to rein Bolton in.
This in from The Guardian:
The British government is mounting a huge diplomatic effort this weekend to prevent the biggest-ever summit of world leaders, designed to tackle poverty and overhaul the United Nations, ending in chaos.
The Guardian has learned that Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, has made a personal plea to his American counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, for the US to withdraw opposition to plans for wholesale reform of the UN.
He has asked Ms Rice to rein in John Bolton, the US ambassador to the world body.
Mr Bolton has thrown the reform negotiations into disarray by demanding a catalogue of late changes to a 40-page draft document which is due to go before the summit in New York on Wednesday.
Mr Bolton, one of the US administration hawks, became ambassador last month only after a long confrontation with the US senate, mainly caused by his ideological dislike of the UN.
The foreign secretary is planning to make calls to fellow ministers around the world over the weekend.
Mr Straw spoke to Ms Rice in a three-way conference call last Tuesday organised by Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, to try to break the deadlock.
Note to the National Security Agency: Has John Bolton made any transcripts requests lately?
We’d really like to know.
— Steve Clemons
Ed. Note: Hat tip to MC for sending the reference.
