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But the nomination of the outspoken Bolton has drawn fire. Sixty-two
former American diplomats voiced their opposition in a letter
to the Senate, which must approve the choice.
The former American diplomats said the candidate has an "exceptional
record", but stressed he is wrong the man for the job.
"John Bolton's insistence that the U.N. is valuable only
when it directly serves the United States, and that the most effective
Security Council would be one where the U.S. is the only permanent
member, will not help him to negotiate with representatives of
the remaining 96 percent of humanity," the letter read.
The
diplomats argue that Bolton will do little to repair relations,
which were damaged by the Bush administration's decision to sidestep
the United Nations and invade Iraq War two years ago.
His critics point to a 1997 article for the American Enterprise
Institute in which Bolton wrote that international treaties and
the U.N. charter are "simply political obligations"
and that the United States is not legally obligated to pay its
U.N. dues.
He has also been widely quoted as saying, "If the U.N. secretary
building in New York lost 10 stories, it wouldn't make a bit of
difference."
Bolton responds that the comments were not meant to be as harsh
as they sound and that the United Nations can and should be reformed.
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