"Abortion Services" Debate Snarls Payment of U.N. Dues

U.S. President Bill Clinton this year managed to forge an agreement with the Republican-controlled Congress to pay some $819 million over the next three years as part of a package deal, conditional on several key U.N. reforms. But now that deal is in danger, as many ultra-conservative Republicans are crying foul over what they contend is a U.N. effort to provide abortion services for refugees.

The Republican protesters are led by Representative Chris Smith, a strong anti-abortion advocate who has objected to several new policy guidelines that are being considered by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

"They are talking about putting abortion in every refugee camp around the world," Smith said. "That is absolutely a consensus-breaker."

He added that if the U.N. agencies were ever to provide "abortion on demand" for refugees, he and other Republicans in Congress would block the payments in arrears scheduled for the next two fiscal years. ($100 million of the arrears are due to be paid in the current fiscal year which ends next month.)

"Don't let the U.N. agenda be hijacked by those who would promote an abortion agenda," Smith argued.

Many Republican and Democratic officials lauded Annan's plans to reform the United Nations and pleaded for cooperation to end the arrears problem. The U.S. currently owes the United Nations an estimated $1.5 billion.

"We had a good meeting with the secretary general," Gilman said. "We are encouraged about the reforms that are being taken." He noted that some U.S. suggestions already adopted by the United Nations, such as the appointment of an inspector-general, have been estimated to save the world body as much as $30 million."

Bill Richardson, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, added that Washington is now prepared to do its part to meet the world body's financial obligations. He noted that a Republican amendment to prevent the initial $100 million "down payment" was defeated on Sept. 26 by 246 votes against to 168 in favor in the House of Representatives.

"Support is slowly building for the United Nations in the U.S. Congress," Richardson declared."I believe we're turning the corner."

"Our obligation to pay our debts is an obligation," argued Christopher Shays of Connecticut, a moderate Republican Representative who differs with Smith on the abortion issue. A large number of both the Republican majority and Democratic minority in Congress believe the dues should be paid, regardless of differences with the world body on a range of political issues, Shays said.

Nevertheless, Smith's threat to block any arrears payment show how far the Clinton administration still has to go to convince its recalcitrant Congress to pay the dues, which are a treaty obligation, without conditions.

In the last week of September, dozens of foreign ministers attending the U.N. General Assembly criticized the United States for failing to pay its contribution -- one-quarter of the roughly $1.3 billion U.N. budget -- on time, in full, and unconditionally.

For many right-wing Republicans, however, the United Nations is an object of suspicion. While U.N. officials repeatedly have asserted the United Nations does not provide abortions anywhere in the world, the world body's refusal to adopt the "pro-life" politics of the Christian right has often drawn the ire of politicians like Smith.

Richardson conceded that Smith's objections threatened to block payment of dues, and that so far the Clinton administration has not broken the impasse. But he added that he was lobbying Congress to understand that "reform is taking place at the United Nations."

"What we want is a vote up-and-down (yes or no) on the arrears package as it is," Richardson added, noting the White House's worries that Republicans in Congress may seek to alter the agreement that was hammered out over the past few months. But the ambassador added that he was pleased that Republican leaders like Gilman and Shays were pushing for a payment of arrears.

Assessments have not been changed since 1974, and the United States believes that countries that have grown economically stronger since then -- notably Germany, Japan, and China -- should pay more.

Richardson noted that the White House wants a vote in the U.N. General Assembly on reducing the U.S. assessment by December. The Clinton administration is committed under the arrears package to seek a reduction of dues to 22 percent this year and to 20 percent by the year 2000.

Those goals could be hard to meet. The other 184 U.N. member states largely resent the idea that Washington wants to dictate the terms of its dues payment, and many may accordingly vote against any reduction in the U.S. assessment. Nor does the idea that Congressmen like Smith are trying to attach new conditions make that effort any easier, U.N. officials acknowledge privately.