The New York Times

Friday, December 29, 2000

A Good Deal on U.N. Dues

The United States is the United Nations' biggest deadbeat. Conservatives in Congress, led by Senator Jesse Helms, stopped Washington from paying its dues until the U.N. reduced its assessment and made other changes. Now, thanks to the hard work of Richard Holbrooke, America's U.N. representative, and his staff, the U.N. has agreed to trim the nation's share of the financial burdens for both the U.N.'s general budget and for peacekeeping. Senator Helms, who has praised the deal, should release the dues he has been holding hostage - $582 million of the $1.3 billion the U.N. says it is owed.

The new formula would reduce America's contribution to the general U.N. budget to 22 percent from the current level of 25 percent - a symbolic difference of only $34 million a year. Washington, which has been paying just over 30 percent of the peacekeeping budget, would now pay about 27 percent - a difference of $80 million to $120 million a year - and that percentage will drop further. While poor countries would not pay more, the dues of other wealthy nations would rise under the new system.

The agreement would probably not have been reached without the intervention of Ted Turner, who is already contributing $1 billion to U.N. programs over 10 years. Mr. Turner gave $34 million to cover the one-year gap during which other nations prepare to raise their contributions. His offer should embarrass Congress, which forced diplomats to waste their influence at the U.N. in months of negotiations to save a sum that is modest by federal budget standards. The deal falls slightly short of the harsh conditions set by Mr. Helms to release America's dues. But Mr. Holbrooke came very close. Mr. Helms should now release the arrears.

The Congressional hold on Washington's dues harmed American interests abroad. America's debts reduced the U.N.'s ability to reimburse nations that contributed peacekeepers to U.N. missions worldwide. Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jordan and other poor countries essentially made up for the absence of American financial support. Since Washington benefits from peacekeepers, who damp down conflicts without American troops, it should not be discouraging nations from sending them.

The failure to pay irritated many of Washington's natural allies at the U.N., who were concerned that America wanted influence without meeting its treaty obligations. Some of them withheld support for United States proposals. Mr. Helms should also end his hold on an additional $244 million in back dues, whose release he has conditioned on a reduction in America's dues for specialized U.N. agencies such as Unicef and the U.N. refugee organization. These agencies need full support. A switch by Mr. Helms would help the incoming Bush administration, which would reap the benefits of the restoration of America's full influence at the U.N.