he already was UN ambassador around 2001-2004 if I am not mistaken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John NegroponteJohn Dimitri Negroponte (born July 21, 1939 in the United Kingdom) (IPA [ˌnɛgroʊˈp¨»nti]) is a career diplomat currently serving as the United States Director of National Intelligence. President Bush named Ambassador Negroponte as the first Director of National Intelligence in 2005. Prior to this appointment, Negroponte served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. He also served in the United States Foreign Service, from 1960 to 1997. He has various tours of duty as a United States ambassador, including a three-year ambassadorship to the Philippines, from 1993 to 1996. He subsequently served as U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations from 2001 to 2004, and was ambassador to Iraq from June 2004 to April 2005.