Annan welcomes nomination of John Bolton as new US ambassador to UN

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today warmly congratulated John Bolton on his nomination to be the next United States Permanent Representative to the world body and looks forward to working with him on UN reform, among other issues.

Mr. Annan was called this morning by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who informed him of the appointment and assured him that Mr. Bolton would work with the UN on reform and a full range of other issues, spokesman Stephane Dujarric told the daily news briefing in New York.

Asked about Mr. Bolton's past record of demanding accountability from the UN, Mr. Dujarric said the UN has "nothing against people who hold us accountable." On the contrary, the UN has been dealing with accountability and would continue to do so in the months ahead, he added.