Security Council President US envoy John Bolton surprised diplomats as he listed on the body's consultations for Thursday, besides the programme of work for February, "Modernizing Security Council Operations". One of the decisions Bolton took during his presidency this month is to call for council consultations at 10:00 O'clock sharp, not one minute later. The chimes today did ring at 10:00 but the consultations began at 10:06. Consultations scheduled for 10:00 usually begin at 10:20 or later under other council presidents.Ten minutes after the consultations began, a stunned council diplomat rushed out to tell reporters that Bolton already suggested that the UN Secretariat come down to the council every day at 10:00 sharp to brief the members on whatever the UN is working on that day. He wants the briefing to be both written and oral. Bolton took over the council's presidency on Wednesday, February 1st from Tanzania. The council usually does not meet on the first day of the month, allowing the president to conduct bilateral meetings.
Bolton also surprised diplomats when he first became ambassador here by telling the council president, who called on him when his turn came to read his speech on Afghanistan, that he would rather submit his speech in writing because he had nothing in particular to say, thus saving a few minutes from the council's time. He said at that time that he wanted other council members to do the same.
Bolton came to the UN last August enthusiastic to "clean the Glass House of waste, corruption and fraud". The UN is already under the spot light for the oil-for-food scandal and fraud in the Peacekeeping procurement operations.
