Jack Straw, Britain, complained about Bolton to Colin Powell

America

April 26, 2005

British complaint could be last straw for Bush's man
By Tim Reid and Richard Beeston
JACK STRAW became embroiled yesterday in the controversy surrounding John Bolton, President Bush’s choice to become the next US Ambassador to the UN, after it emerged that the Foreign Secretary had complained to Washington about his behaviour.

As a series of new allegations against Mr Bolton put his chances of confirmation further into doubt, details emerged of how a furious Mr Straw told Colin Powell, the former US Secretary of State, that Mr Bolton was trying to destroy a European initiative on Iran’s nuclear programme.

Mr Straw made the complaint after he became convinced that Mr Bolton was the source of an article on the front page of The Times last July quoting an unnamed senior US official who dismissed the initiative as “spring training” and advocated “regime change” in Tehran. The Times has never revealed its source.

A Foreign Office spokesman said last night that Mr Straw had “no recollection” of clashing with Mr Bolton. Privately, however, a senior British official recalled that Mr Straw had been very angry with Mr Bolton, whom he described as “extremely disobliging”.

In a separate allegation, Newsweek reported yesterday that British officials “at the highest levels” had persuaded the White House to keep Mr Bolton off the team negotiating with Libya to give up its nuclear programme in 2003. The magazine said that Mr Bolton was unwilling to support a compromise that the US drop its demand for regime change in Libya if the country abandoned its weapons programme. The White House denied the claim.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1585546,00.html