U.N. Undersecretary-General for Management Angela Kane told reporters that only 13 of the United Nations’ 192 member states had paid in full as of Wednesday. The total arrears amounted to some $4.1 billion, up from $2.2 billion at the end of 2009, Kane said.
“It has been a difficult year in many ways for many member states because of the economic recession,” she said.
The administration of President Barack Obama repaid all the money the United States owed the United Nations last year. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice told reporters on Thursday that Washington pays its U.N. dues “in full and on time.”
She said there was an issue of “contested arrears” — debts that Washington does not agree it owes the United Nations.
“They must be counting contested arrears if it gets to a figure which gets close to anything like that,” she said in reference to the $1.2 billion figure cited by Kane.
As the United Nations’ single biggest contributor, Washington is responsible for roughly one-quarter of the U.N. peacekeeping budget and slightly less than a quarter of the separate U.N. regular budget.
Sorry guys, the line forms at the rear.
@ brm
You beat me to it!
…and the UN owes us world peace.
The check is in the mail!
UNable
MikeN, do you understand that there are Supreme Court Justices — Ginsberg for one — who have written opinions suggesting that our Constitution must differ to EU law?
And if the UN decided to impose sanctions against the United States — which would be a given if we were not on the Security Council — do you think that this country is strong enough both militarily and economically to defy the world?
Keep in mind that Bush and Rumsfield were charged with war crimes in World Court. (Fortunately, the judge threw out the case.) And let’s not forget how the bankers of the world are insisting upon the creation of a new world currency.
I hate our participation in the UN, but our membership as one of the five permanent members on the Security Council grants us immunity from the type of sanctions imposed upon countries like Libya, Iran and North Korea.
I wouldn’t give them one cent. The UN is useless.
Smith, the reason the cases against Rumsfeld and others were dropped, wasn’t because of any UN membership. It was because Rumsfeld threatened to move the NATO headquarters out of Brussels, unless the EU backed down. And it will always be US military might that stops others, not a veto at the UN Security Council. The UN regularly bashes Israel, with the US providing vetoes. If the US were not vetoing, do you think that would hurt Israel any more? She does what she wants.
Give them the deed to Texas and call it even.