Report: Clinton Diverted Billions From Pentagon to UN Peacekeeping

CNSNews.com ^ | 2/12/02 | Lawrence Morahan

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - A draft report by the General Accounting Office reveals that former President Clinton contributed over $24 billion for U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world between 1995 and 2001, money that wasn't officially credited to the U.S. account by the United Nations.

The report shows that America's "debt" to the United Nations was more than compensated for by extra peacekeeping assistance that the world organization never gave the United States credit for, U.N. critics said.

"This new GAO report makes it absolutely clear that the U.S. debt to the U.N. was a complete fraud," said Cliff Kincaid, a journalist and president of America's Survival, who released a copy of the draft report.

"And remember that this report only covers the fiscal years 1996 - 2001," Kincaid added. "If the complete years of the Clinton administration were taken into account, the figure could rise by several more billions."

The Clinton era saw an explosion in the number of U.N-sponsored peacekeeping missions carried out by U.S. forces that were not necessarily supported by Congress.

Those peacekeeping operations were the cause of heated disagreements over dues, including debates on whether the United States had accumulated sufficient back dues to be voted out of the U.N. General Assembly.

Between fiscal years 1996 and 2001, the United States directly contributed an estimated $3.45 billion to support U.N. peacekeeping, the report states.

During the same period, however, U.S. indirect contributions to U.N. peacekeeping amounted to $24.2 billion.

Of the $24.2 billion figure, the GAO found that the largest indirect contribution - about $21.8 billion - was for U.S. military operations and services. This meant military personnel and equipment had to be diverted from Pentagon operations to the United Nations.

The GAO defined indirect contributions as "U.S. programs and activities that are located in the same area as an ongoing U.N. peacekeeping operation, have objectives that help the peacekeeping operation achieve its mandated objectives, and are not an official part of the U.N. operation."

For example, estimated U.S. indirect contributions to U.N. operations in Kosovo and East Timor, which involved nation building and the training of local government agencies, "amounted to over $5.1 billion and included military operations to help provide a secure environment and programs to provide food and shelter for refugees and train police and court officials."

Congress Limits U.S. Contribution

The United Nations assesses member states a percentage share of the total cost of peacekeeping operations. The U.S. assessed share has historically been over 30 percent of total peacekeeping costs.

In November 1994, Congress limited the amount the United States could pay to 25 percent of peacekeeping costs, beginning in fiscal year 1996, the report noted. However, the United Nations continued to bill the United States at its historically 30 percent of total costs, leading to U.S. arrears.

In 2000, U.N. member states agreed to change the assessment formula and to drop the U.S. share of the peacekeeping budget over a three-year period to 27 percent, the report said.

Between fiscal years 1996, which began October 1995, and June 30, 2001, the United Nations conducted 33 peacekeeping operations in 28 countries, according to the report. As of January 2002, 15 of these operations were still ongoing in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, involving over 47,000 military personnel, civilian police, and observers.

"When you're spending American taxpayer dollars you need accountability for American taxpayer dollars, and the procedure that the U.N. has of requesting donations and the practice of the Clinton administration to categorize expenditures as donations removes that accountability," said a senior official familiar with the GAO report.

Speaking at Heritage Foundation in Washington, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte said of U.S. involvement in peacekeeping operations: "If there is a threat to international peace and security out there, and it needs to be dealt with, it is better that we do it where possible with other partners who are picking up part of the cost."

He added: "So I would say that while we always want to be careful about the costs and we always want to be careful about where it is that we decide to undertake U.N. peacekeeping operations, there are demonstrable benefits for the United States."

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[KQQL]

Peace , love and Monica.......who needs the Armed forces..................Bill to Hill

[Pistolshot]

Those peacekeeping operations were the cause of heated disagreements over dues, including debates on whether the United States had accumulated sufficient back dues to be voted out of the U.N. General Assembly.

This would have been a bad thing???

[xm177e2]

A billion here, a billion there... sooner or later, you're talking real money.

[Carry_Okie]

Bill 'em.

[DeaconRed]

I don't believe that there is anybody out there that feels more strongly about the number one slime ball than me.
I know he will get his just rewards one day.
I just ain't sure when! ! ! !

[backhoe]

Like the chains on Marley's Ghost

That "clinton legacy" has been forged link by link by sordid link....

Madison Society - Slick Willy
... THE CLINTON TIME LINE. The Etherzone provides, in one location, all the events
of the Clinton Ongoing Corruption from 1977 through 2000. Read more. ...

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1993, Mr. Speaker, under Democrats and Republican Presidents alike, there ...

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-DOWNSIDE LEGACY AT TWO DEGREES OF PRESIDENT CLINTON --

---

"Has that clinton "legacy" made you feel safer yet?"
Lest Americans ever forget why the clintons, and all their enablers need to be hectored, hounded, and harried into silence, until "clintonese is only spoken in Hell," look here:

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-clintonism in one easy lesson--

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Hillary:

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[Dahoser]

Get his? Are you kidding? The spin on this is going to be that Kilntoon did it because those right-wing loonies in Congress were determined to isolate us. The headline reads like Klintoon did something wrong, but the body of the article reads like he found a backdoor way around Congress and put us in the black with the UN. Given the superior performance of the military in Afghanistan, the Legacy Project will crow how he cleverly fixed the UN issue while still leaving the military in great shape.

[gunnedah]

This sorry Bast---- true legacy will be the downfall of America. He wont go away and we will never be the same.Between him,the Democrats and the Liberal Media America is gone.Clinton and the craps sold us and the media brainwashed us now there is little hope. DIVERSITY RULES!

[FreedomPoster]

Those peacekeeping operations were the cause of heated disagreements over dues, including debates on whether the United States had accumulated sufficient back dues to be voted out of the U.N. General Assembly.

Couldn't these in-kind peacekeeping contributions be overlooked, such that the General Assembly would not only vote us out of the G.A., but out of the entire U.N.?

[MeekOneGOP]

Report: Clinton Diverted Billions From
Pentagon to UN Peacekeeping

Excerpt:

(CNSNews.com) - A draft report by the General Accounting Office reveals that former President Clinton contributed over $24 billion for U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world between 1995 and 2001, money that wasn't officially credited to the U.S. account by the United Nations.

The report shows that America's "debt" to the United Nations was more than compensated for by extra peacekeeping assistance that the world organization never gave the United States credit for, U.N. critics said.

"This new GAO report makes it absolutely clear that the U.S. debt to the U.N. was a complete fraud," said Cliff Kincaid, a journalist and president of America's Survival, who released a copy of the draft report.

"And remember that this report only covers the fiscal years 1996 - 2001," Kincaid added. "If the complete years of the Clinton administration were taken into account, the figure could rise by several more billions."

The Clinton era saw an explosion in the number of U.N-sponsored peacekeeping missions carried out by U.S. forces that were not necessarily supported by Congress.

Those peacekeeping operations were the cause of heated disagreements over dues, including debates on whether the United States had accumulated sufficient back dues to be voted out of the U.N. General Assembly.

Between fiscal years 1996 and 2001, the United States directly contributed an estimated $3.45 billion to support U.N. peacekeeping, the report states.

During the same period, however, U.S. indirect contributions to U.N. peacekeeping amounted to $24.2 billion.

---

The Legacy continues. . .
(((PING))))))
Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[MeekOneGOP]

Pitiful. Poor bill. He wants a legacy. . .

i got away wif murder, rape and
obstruction ov justice. . .
i so proud o' myself! !

[chainsaw]

More Clinton Treason
When will we get someone with a spine to prosecute.

[mystery-ak]

You should give an advance warning that a pic of Helen is coming up....I just woke up and haven't had full cup of coffee....I need a stimulus to see something like that so early...LOL

[pt17]

Clinton is like a bad case of herpes - hell never go away until the host is dead and, until then, there will be regular eruptions of ugly political pustules. This host is, of course, the carcinogenic organism known as the liberal elite.

[Lion's Cub]

Clinton didn't do this by himself. Toon was out of office when congress voted to pay the "back dues". I'm assuming someone from congress asked the GAO to do this report. Let's see what the congress and Bush do with it.

[chainsaw]

Why didn't the GAO report this a couple of years ago??

Why??

Are all reports from the GAO 7 years behind time?

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL!

[philman_36]

...former President Clinton contributed over $24 billion for U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world between 1995 and 2001, money that wasn't officially credited to the U.S. account by the United Nations.
I have to wonder at the gullibility of many folks. How do they think those U.N. "peacekeeping missions" got done? Do they actually think it was done for free? How do they think the troops got sent and where do they think those billions came from? Thin air? Uh-oh, wait a second...
And guess what else! We're still financially supporting U.N. "peacekeeping missions", even under our current administration.
A little old info...Better World Campaign 2000

[chainsaw]

Dick tators can't commit treason. </sarcasm>