WASHINGTON, June 20 (UPI) -- Negotiations on a series of important international issues have passed stopping points since John Bolton left the process, The Washington Post reported.
The newspaper said it was unclear whether it was a change in Bush administration policies or Bolton no longer being part of the negotiations that allowed for impasses to be worked out.
Bolton is awaiting a vote of the U.S. Senate on his nomination of U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Some Democrats have fought the appointment because of what they term Bolton's brusque management style.
But since Bolton's been concentrating on that role, and not his previous State Department positing, the United States says it has reached a deal with Russia regarding spent nuclear fuel and worked better with European allies regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Rose Gottemoreller, a Clinton administration officer on nuclear matters, told the Post: "Throughout his career in the first Bush administration, he was always playing the stopper role for a lot of different issues and even when there was obvious interest by the president in moving things forward, Bolton found ways of stopping things by tying the interagency process in knots."
