World: The Cost of Talk

Talk is not cheap at the United Nations, which is usually in hock up to its earphones because delinquent members fail to pay their dues. Year after year, the U.S. picks up the check for more than one-third of the U.N.'s total costs. Of this year's regular $64 million assessments, the U.S. was assigned $22.3 million, has already paid all of it.

In addition the U.S. has paid or pledged $77.5 million toward the U.N. Congo operation, $7.9 million toward the Middle East force. Against a grand total of $181.1 million U.S. contributions (including technical assistance and relief), Russia has paid or pledged only $12 million—or about 7% of what the U.S. has contributed. As a result, the U.N. is again practically bankrupt, its books showing debts of $107 million on the regular budget and the cost of the Middle East and Congo operations.

Russia, France and Belgium have refused to chip in a cent toward the Congo costs ($10 million a month), because they disapprove of U.N. policies there. Also for political reasons, Russia and most Arab states refuse to pay anything toward the United Nations Emergency Force in the Middle East. Pleading that they are broke, most of the newly independent African nations and the Latin American states have failed to pay either their regular budget charges or for any of the U.N. special operations. Total delinquency of the Africans is $842,000, of the Latins, $6,600,000. Also still outstanding is $6,274,483 due on the regular budget from Nationalist China; although they command only Formosa, the Nationalists still represent all China in the U.N., are thus assessed for the whole country.

Most of the red ink, however, is Red. In all, Russia and its satellites owe the U.N. $55 million—and Russia has come up with a new excuse to avoid a higher assessment: poverty. In effect, Moscow demands that the U.S. shoulder more of the burden "because the aftermath of the past is still being felt" in Russia.