[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
#2198: UN - US owes $1billion, Haiti and others lose vote (fwd)
From: Charles Arthur <charlesarthur@hotmail.com>
Arthur notes: Although no mentioned in the article
below, Haiti is one of the countries that has lost its
vote.
BBC News - Wednesday, 2 February, 2000, 08:06 GMT
UN voting rights lost over debts
The United Nations is owed $3.47 bn
Forty five countries, many of them in Africa, have lost their right to vote
in the United Nations General Assembly after failing to pay their dues on
time.
A total of 52 out of the 188 members are in arrears, but seven of them have
been exempted from losing their vote due to special circumstances, such as
civil war and natural disaster. They are Bosnia, Comoros, Congo, Georgia,
Guinea-Bissau, Nicaragua and Tajikistan.
Those countries which have lost their vote include Afghanistan, Burundi,
Chad, Gambia, Honduras, Mali, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Ukraine.
Many of them are expected to pay through the year and so regain their vote
before the assembly starts its session again in September.
Owed billions
Under Article 19 of the UN Charter, any member whose arrears equal or exceed
the contributions due for the preceding two years is deprived of its vote.
The United States, which owes the UN $1bn, just escaped losing its vote by
making last minute payments.
UN spokesman John Mills said the UN is owed $3.47bn. Two thirds of that, or
$2.1bn, is for peacekeeping operations. The remainder is for the UN's
regular budget and the war crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and
Rwanda.
Mr Mills said only 43 countries out of the 188 members paid their bill in
full for the year 2,000 by the January 31 deadline.
Contributions are fixed to reflect the wealth of a country.
The biggest contributor to pay on time was France,with $68.85m - equivalent
to 6.54% of the general budget.
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com