U.S. and U.N.
President Bush’s Sept. 25 address to the U.N. General Assembly (“Bush Offers Cut in Chemical Arms” and related stories, Part I, Sept. 26) signals a new American recognition of the value of an effective United Nations in helping the United States and other nations achieve their foreign policy goals. Yet for several years, the U.S. unilaterally cut its assessed contributions by one-half as a way of pressuring the U.N. to adopt fiscal and administrative reforms. Now satisfied that the reform process is under way, the Reagan and Bush administrations have requested Congress to approve near full-funding.
However, still at issue are $460 million in arrearages that have accumulated over the past five years. The Senate Appropriations Committee has rejected an initial first-year down payment of $46 million. For $460 million--a fraction of the cost of one B-2 bomber--the United States could help re-establish its role as a leader at the United Nations and provide much needed support for essential and cost-effective actions that benefit all Americans.
JOHN W. OSBORN JR.
President
Southern California Division
United Nations Assn.-U.S.A.
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