Bush seeks to sway UN meet on abortion

The Bush administration, in what looms as a tough fight with other nations, is trying to revise a worldwide family planning agreement to eliminate language that could promote abortion, earning criticism from the Indian, Chinese and Indonesian governments.

With White House approval, American negotiators intend to change or remove the support for reproductive health services and reproductive rights that were contained in the final declaration of a UN population conference in 1994.

A State Department official said on Saturday that the Bush administration was negotiating for the approval of new language by the Asian and Pacific Population Conference.

The US campaign, at talks in Bangkok, Thailand, parallels a decision in July to withhold $34 million in assistance to the UN population fund on grounds its programmes promote abortion. In September, President George Bush formally shifted the funds to a US-run programme to boost children’s health overseas.