Bolton tells new UN chief to move fast on reform
By Evelyn Leopold
December 9, 2006
The Star
Original Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/9/worldupdates/2006-12-09T031152Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-279613-1&sec=worldupdates 
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said the new U.N. secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon, had to strike fast on management reforms or the door might be closed forever.  
The question is whether Ban Ki-moon can take advantage of coming in fresh, Bolton said in a conversation with Reuters on Friday. It's the only opportunity.  
I think there is still a lot there has yet to change, Bolton said of U.N. reforms. You take advantage of it once.  
Ban of South Korea takes office on Jan 1, succeeding Kofi Annan, who has had prickly relations with Bolton.  
But Bolton praised Annan's predecessor, Egyptian Boutros Boutros-Ghali, in office from 1992 to 1996, whom he said had made it clear at the beginning he wanted to reform the management structures and abolished 4 or 5 senior posts.  
In his first six months Boutros-Ghali did a lot.  
The Clinton administration and former U.S. Ambassador Madeline Albright vetoed a second term for Boutros-Ghali.  
Bolton said the former secretary-general had told him he regretted that the Democrats beat former President George Bush in 1992.  
I took this job because I figured I had five years of George Bush, Bolton quoted Boutros-Ghali as telling him.  
Bolton's temporary appointment ends with the current Congressional term. He resigned after it became clear opponents in the Senate would not support his nomination, particularly Democrats, who won control of Congress in November elections.  
He now intends to work at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, speak, consult and replenish the coffers after six years of public service.  
DOESN'T THROW STAPLERS  
Witty, a born litigator and an arms control expert, Bolton was front and center of most issues in the U.N. Security Council -- North Korea, Iran and Sudan, among others. But he was criticized by developing nations and some European ambassadors for his tough tactics.  
Still, among senior foreign service officers at the U.S. mission, interviewed by Reuters, there was a regret at his departure.  
The temper tantrums attributed to him before his nomination were unheard of. No staplers or other objects were hurled.  
He's up at 4 a.m. He is a workaholic. He works harder than anyone in the office and he is smarter than anyone in the office, said John Barry, an advisor.  
Richard Terrell Miller, a deputy ambassador and veteran State Department official, said Moral is as good here as it has ever been, among the foreign service officers anyway.  
He said officials like him wanted clarity, direction and purpose and John has provided it in a nice way.  
Acknowledging U.S. efforts on U.N. reforms had fallen short, Miller said, some people hate the U.N. and have no use for it. And then there is another strain of people who have a sort of over-idealized vision of the U.N.  
What it is a human organization. It has human strengths and human failing. You try to maximize the strengths.  
Bruce Rashkow, who works on finances, said, his portfolio had often been ignored because the eyes glaze over but Bolton has raised all of our issues to the level of ambassador and policy and that has increased tremendously our morale.  
Bolton denies his expertise makes him a one man band.  
I delegate a lot but professionally I am a litigator. And no matter how complex the case, if the lead litigator doesn't fundamentally know everything, then you have to worry.