To: AllPolitics Subject: Congress To Tie U.N. Payments To Reform
From: Steven Shusman/CNN
In: Washington
Posted: 2-18-97
A United States congressional staff member told reporters on Tuesday legislation would shortly be forthcoming that would possibly tie U.N. reform benchmarks to U.S. payment of arrears. Mark Thiessen, a spokesman for Sen. Jesse Helms of the Foreign Relations Committee, and a number of staffers representing other Senate and House committees met with several U.N. officials, including General Assembly President Razali Ismail, to get their input before congressional legislation is drafted, possibly next month.
Thiessen described the meetings as "very good" but conceded there was no agreement for specific benchmarks. Fred Eckhard, a spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said "We don't agree with benchmarks unless they include the Secretary-General's plan and his timetable...He has 6 months to cultivate consensus" among the 185 members of the world body.
The congressional staffer stated the U.S. was looking for reforms that would make the U.N. a more effective organization, before the U.S. pays the more than $1 billion in arrears. Thiessen said that lowering the U.S.'s assessment of peacekeeping and the general budget might be part of the legislation. Currently the U.S. pays 31 percent for peacekeeping and 25 percent for the general budget.
Re-iterating what Sen. Helms has said, the staffer told reporters that "Pressure from Congress helps the Secretary-General to reform," and he believes that they "can work together."