US Senators Want Cut in U.N. Dues

Wednesday, November 29th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

UNITED NATIONS (AP) â€” Concerned about the diplomatic impact of the U.S. presidential elections, two senators came to the United Nations on Tuesday to make clear that the United States will demand a reduction in its U.N. bills no matter who heads the next administration.

Republican Sens. John Warner, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Gordon Smith, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, drove home that message to about a dozen ambassadors, arguing that they should approve the reduction now so the United Nations can get a chunk of the money the United States owes.

Washington owes an estimated $1.8 billion to the United Nations in back dues that was tied up because of congressional demands that the organization streamline its bloated bureaucracy.

Congress approved legislation last year that would pay back $926 million of the arrears, but the full check can only be sent after the 189-member General Assembly agrees to reduce the U.S. share of the administrative budget from 25 percent to 22 percent and the peacekeeping budget from about 30 percent to 25 percent.

U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke has appealed to U.N. members to agree to the reductions before the end of the year so that the next installment of the payout â€” some $582 million â€” can be sent. He has warned them against waiting to see whether the next U.S. administration will be any less adamant in carrying out the legislation than the current one â€” a message repeated Tuesday by Warner and Smith.

Warner said there would be no ``flexibility'' in the U.S. position as a consequence of the uncertain presidential elections and said he saw little chance that Congress would be willing to revisit the legislation if the reductions aren't approved this year.

The two senators had a working breakfast with the ambassadors of Egypt, Pakistan, Bahrain, Brazil, Britain, Kenya, France, Argentina, Singapore, Guatemala, Japan, India, South Korea, Colombia and Australia.

Several of those countries, in particular those from the developing world, have been highly critical of the U.S. efforts to cut its share of the budget. The European Union has indicated a willingness to negotiate a slight cut in the U.S. share of the U.N. peacekeeping budget but has said it doesn't want to see a decrease in the U.S. share of the administrative budget.