WASHINGTON, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Here are some key facts about John Bolton, who the White House announced on Monday will leave his post as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations within days: - During his tenure at the United Nations, Bolton was an tenacious, outspoken and at times counterproductive advocate of U.S. efforts to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, push Syria out of Lebanon and bring African peacekeepers into shaky Somalia. - Bolton was very effective on North Korea, pushing a very strong sanctions resolution through the U.N. Security Council within days of Pyongyang's Oct. 9 nuclear test. - His fellow U.N. ambassadors at times found him difficult. This led to less than optimum results on U.N. reform, which was U.S. President George W. Bush's top U.N. priority. - Democrats blocked Bolton's formal confirmation as U.N. ambassador last year. He served under a temporary appointment that would have expired in January. He had been nominated in March 2005. - Bolton has close ties with Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and conservative allies a few weeks ago thought he would be able to stay on as U.N. ambassador, but opposition from key senators apparently made this impossible.
