
The New York Times
Friday, August 26, 1994



       U.S. To Pay Off Its U.N. Debt For Peacekeeping Operations


                             By Paul Lewis
                      Special to The New York Times

    UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 - The Clinton Administration has won a
$1.2 billion appropriation for United Nations peacekeeping operations
from the Congress, which will be sufficient to pay off its $950
million peacekeeping arrears by the end of this year and still leave
some money for next year's bills.

    But unless there, is a dramatic decline in future peacekeeping
costs, the Administration will probably need to ask Congress for
additional money next year, or find itself falling into arrears again,
since it is using funds voted for its 1995 budget to pay off past
debts.

    In particular, Congress refused to provide $300 million in Defense
Department funds to cover America's 1995 share of the United Nations
Peacekeeping operations under way in the former Yugoslavia, Somalia
and along the border between Kuwait and Iraq.

    The CIinton Administration had requested Defense Department
financing for these three operations as part of its proposed "shared
responsibility" for peacekeeping between the Departments of State and
Defense. Officials say it is now likely to request a supplemental
appropriation for this money in 1995.

    Nevertheless Administration officials are proclaiming this month's
$1.2 billion peacekeeping appropriation a major victory for their
United Nations policy, saying it shows they can get money for the
United Nations out of Congress at a time when funds are in short
supply and legislators preoccupied with reducing the federal deficit.

    The legislation, which was sent to the President for his signature
by the House and Senate last week, provides $670 million in
suppiemental funds for peacekeeping operations in fiscal year 1994,
which ends Sept.30, and $533.3 million for fiscal 1995, which starts
Oct. 1.

    The bill also provides full financing for the Administration's
$287.3 million request for its calendar year 1994 contribution to the
United Nations regular budget.

    At the end of July the United States owed $956.2 million in unpaid
peacekeeping dues out of total arrears of $2.5 billion. On the regular
budget, it owed $531 million out of total unpaid dues of $835 million.
Overall, the United Nations is currently owed $3.3 billion by its
member states in unpaid peacekeeping and regular budget dues combined.

    Approval of the new American peacekeeping request came at the end
of a difficult legislative session during which the House defeated
three attempts to cut peacekeeping funds while the Senate at first
decided to transfer $350 million from peacekeep@ing to pay for
detaining illegal aliens and then reversed itself in a conference
committee.

    Half of the $670 million appropriated in supplemental 1994
peacekeeping funds as well as 20 percent of America's regular budget
contribution will be withheld until President Clinton certifies that
the United Nations has agreed to his plan to appoint an inspector
general to combat waste and fraud in the organization.

    But the President is expected to provide such certification later
this month after the decision Wednesday  by the the United Nations
General Assembly to approve the appointment of Karl-Theodor Paschka,
former Assistant Secretary for Personell and Management at the German
Foreign Ministery, to the new post.


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