WASHINGTON, April 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed on Tuesday a vote on John Bolton's nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations.

    The decision showed the Democrats in the committee successfullyblocked the Republicans who sought to push Bolton through as the showdown vote was scheduled for Tuesday.

    The Democrats have tried to sway at least one Republican memberof the committee to join them in opposing Bolton's nomination as the Democrats are outnumbered in the committee as eight to 10.

    The vote has been delayed once to give the Democrats more time to gather information about Bolton.

    Bolton, the under secretary of state in charge of arms control,has been a harsh critic of the United Nations bureaucracy and a provocative choice to be Washington's representative to the UnitedNations.

    During testimony to the committee last week, former State Department official Carl Ford called Bolton a "serial abuser" who had clashed with one of his analysts who had provided information he did not agree with.

    Moreover, the Washington Post said on Monday that Bolton had withheld sensitive information on Iran from former secretary of state Colin Powell and current State Department chief Condoleezza Rice.

    However, the White House still backs Bolton's nomination and Bolton has insisted he did nothing improper. Enditem ¡¡