Posted on 07/21/2005 2:05:07 PM PDT by Michael Goldsberry
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration said Thursday it opposed a House-passed bill that would issue an ultimatum to the United Nations to reform or lose U.S. financial support.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, "We believe withholding dues in order to achieve a wide array of specific conditions would diminish our effectiveness."
Burns spoke in support of widespread changes in the United Nations, including creation of a new human rights council with a mandate to deal with torture and other major abuses.
He called also for management and budget reforms, and said Secretary-General Kofi Annan's suggestions for changes at the U.N. devote too little attention to problems in those areas.
The United States contributes about 22 percent of the U.N. budget, more than $400 million this year, and about 25 percent of peacekeeping expenses, which adds more than $1 billion to the U.S. bill this year.
Last month, led by Republicans, the House voted 221-184 for a bill that would withhold half of assessed U.S. dues if the United Nations did not take nearly four dozen steps to improve its accountability and root out corruption.
Failure to comply would also result in U.S. refusal to support expanded and new peacekeeping missions.
"History shows that when Congress stands tough, when it says that if you don't reform we are not going to pay, then change occurs," said House International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., author of the legislation.
The Senate has yet to act on the legislation.
Burns said withholding dues would undermine U.S. efforts to play the leading role in reforming the United Nations. "It would represent a tremendous setback in the reliability and credibility of the U.N. in the world," he said.
Several other provisions of the bill "impermissibly infringe" on President Bush's constitutional authority to conduct the nation's foreign affairs, he said.
The committee chairman, Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind., agreed that a law requiring U.S. dues to be withheld would "tie the president's hands."
Last week, Lugar and Sen. Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record), R-Minn., introduced a bill that would give the United States the right — but not the requirement — to withhold dues if the United Nations did not enact wide-ranging reforms.
Objecting to the House bill, Sen. Paul Sarbanes (news, bio, voting record), D-Md., said, "Once we start down that path it is a very dangerous path." On the other hand, Sarbanes said, the United Nations seems open to reform.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, co-chairman of a U.S.-funded task force on the United Nations, said the president should have the authority to withhold U.S. dues.
In a scathing appraisal of many U.N. operations, Gingrich said reform should seek to undercut the power of the 120 small nations that together pay no more than 1 percent of the U.N. bills.
The current U.N. human rights commission must be replaced, Gingrich said, because it has been taken over by "extremists and murders." He called the United Nations' treatment of Israel "scandalous," describing it as "hostility institutionalized."
Good old Bush, always trying to raise the bar.
What the hell is he thinking? What ARE we suppose to be paying billions of dollars for each year? For them to stab us in the back every chance they get? So they can eat caviar while London is getting blown apart ?????
What exactly is the U.N. good for? Huh?
GW has disappointed me on the border issues and now this.
I am deeply saddened :) No really.
Unnngh!
A UN meeting from 2002 -
Perhaps if Bush recessed in John Bolton we could finally crack some heads over at the UN. He has let this go on far too long.
Open borders, billion dollar giveaways to Africa, and now opposition to paring down the U.N.
I'm ready for a conservative in the White House.
Bush makes me sick. Taxpayers have paid billions that went into the pockets of corrupt UN officials and he wants to pay more? Give me a freaking break!!! He's just like his daddy who swore an oath to the UN. It's a corrupt worthless organization, and should be abolished!!!!!
The United States contributes about 22 percent of the U.N. budget, more than $400 million this year, and about 25 percent of peacekeeping expenses, which adds more than $1 billion to the U.S. bill this year.
We should at least demand the decency of a reach-around.
UN
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
The UN is something that I despise
For it means destruction of innocent lives
For it means tears in thousands of mothers' eyes
When their sons go out to fight to give their lives
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
UN
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
UN
Friend only to the undertaker
The UN is the enemy of all mankind
The thought of war blows my mind
Handed down from generation to generation
Induction destruction
Who wants to die
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
The UN has shattered many young men's dreams
Made them disabled bitter and meanLife is too precious to be supporting the UN
each day
The UN can't give life it can only take it away
UN
It's nothing but a heartbreaker
UN
Friend only to the undertaker
Peace love and understanding
There must be some place for these things today
They say we must support a corrupt entity to keep our freedom
But Lord there's gotta be a better way
That's better than the
UN
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Say it again
UN
What is it good for
Absolutely nothing
Bush is just like his daddy who swore an oath to the UN. He DOES NOT CARE about what it's costing tax payers. He's a globalist and that's all there is to it and I'm regretting ever voting for him.
Bush needs to get on the stick the UN in it's present shape is worthless.
This presupposes, does it not, that the UN actually has reliability and credibility? LOL
Good 'ole W comes through again.
Chip off the old globalist block.
He can't let the side down. This one IS all Bush's fault.
very profound
I never thought of it that way or knew all the words.
Bomb them to dust.
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