Tight-fisted US could lose UN vote

However, Connor informed he had given the figures to Washington. Under the UN charter, a member state loses voting rights if the amount of its arrears “equals or exceeds the amount of the contributions due from it for preceding two full years.” The United States Congress has withheld payment demanding that contribution expected from it be reduced urging that countries whose economies have improved must pay more and also to press the world body to reduce its expenses.

The US is assessed to pay twenty five per cent of the world body’s regular budget and more than thirty per cent of peacekeeping expenses, making it the UN’s majorcontributor.

So far, the United States has been paying enough to keep its vote safe. But any losing of the right would have an adverse impact on its capacity to influence UN decisions especially on Iraq on which it has serious differences with other Security Council members. The huge arrears the United States owes the United Nations along with the agreement he entered into with Iraq recently is expected to be on top of Secretary General Kofi Annan’s agenda when he visits Washington.

Connors said the United Nations would never be able to have financial health so long as the United States does not pay.

At present, the world body borrows from the peacekeeping operations to run day-to-day operations. That delays reimbursement to the countries which provide troops and services. But with peacekeeping operation declining, that resource would also dry up.

Connor said the cash flow is “weak and getting weaker”. While the overall amount owed by member states is decreasing slightly, the organisation is forcedto cross borrow against peacekeeping funds to make up for the deficit in the regular budget. He predicted that by this year end, the amounts in both the regular and peacekeeping budgets would be 575 million dollars, the smallest amount in four years.