U.S. President George W. Bush has accepted the resignation of John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the White House said on Monday.

Bush reluctantly accepted Bolton's decision to leave the post when his recess appointment ended in early January, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Bush appointed Bolton to the UN job temporarily in August 2005 as his nomination languished in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, blocked by the Democrats and several Republicans. However, the appointment expires when Congress formally adjourns, no later than early January.

The CNN news network said that Bolton submitted his resignation letter to Bush on Friday after realizing that his nomination would face harsher prospects in the Congress following Democrat victories in the midterm legislative elections.

Source: Xinhua