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http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/2/12/55935.shtml

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Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War!


Clinton Diverted Billions From Pentagon to U.N. Peacekeeping
Lawrence Morahan, CNSNews.com
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2002
CNSNews.com -- A draft report by the General Accounting Office reveals that
former President Clinton contributed over $24 billion for U.N. peacekeeping
missions around the world between 1995 and 2001, money that wasn't officially
credited to the U.S. account by the United Nations.
The report shows that America's "debt" to the United Nations was more than
compensated for by extra peacekeeping assistance that the world organization
never gave the United States credit for, U.N. critics said.

"This new GAO report makes it absolutely clear that the U.S. debt to the U.N.
was a complete fraud," said Cliff Kincaid, a journalist and president of
America's Survival, who released a copy of the draft report.

"And remember that this report only covers the fiscal years 1996 - 2001,"
Kincaid added. "If the complete years of the Clinton administration were
taken into account, the figure could rise by several more billions."

The Clinton era saw an explosion in the number of U.N.-sponsored peacekeeping
missions carried out by U.S. forces that were not necessarily supported by
Congress.

Those peacekeeping operations were the cause of heated disagreements over
dues, including debates on whether the United States had accumulated
sufficient back dues to be voted out of the U.N. General Assembly.

Between fiscal years 1996 and 2001, the United States directly contributed an
estimated $3.45 billion to support U.N. peacekeeping, the report states.

During the same period, however, U.S. indirect contributions to U.N.
peacekeeping amounted to $24.2 billion.

Of the $24.2 billion figure, the GAO found that the largest indirect
contribution - about $21.8 billion - was for U.S. military operations and
services. This meant military personnel and equipment had to be diverted from
Pentagon operations to the United Nations.

The GAO defined indirect contributions as "U.S. programs and activities that
are located in the same area as an ongoing U.N. peacekeeping operation, have
objectives that help the peacekeeping operation achieve its mandated
objectives, and are not an official part of the U.N. operation."

For example, estimated U.S. indirect contributions to U.N. operations in
Kosovo and East Timor, which involved nation building and the training of
local government agencies, "amounted to over $5.1 billion and included
military operations to help provide a secure environment and programs to
provide food and shelter for refugees and train police and court officials."

Congress Limits U.S. Contribution

The United Nations assesses member states a percentage share of the total
cost of peacekeeping operations. The U.S. assessed share has historically
been over 30 percent of total peacekeeping costs.

In November 1994, Congress limited the amount the United States could pay to
25 percent of peacekeeping costs, beginning in fiscal year 1996, the report
noted. However, the United Nations continued to bill the United States at its
historically 30 percent of total costs, leading to U.S. arrears.

In 2000, U.N. member states agreed to change the assessment formula and to
drop the U.S. share of the peacekeeping budget over a three-year period to 27
percent, the report said.

Between fiscal years 1996, which began October 1995, and June 30, 2001, the
United Nations conducted 33 peacekeeping operations in 28 countries,
according to the report. As of January 2002, 15 of these operations were
still ongoing in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, involving over
47,000 military personnel, civilian police, and observers.

"When you're spending American taxpayer dollars you need accountability for
American taxpayer dollars, and the procedure that the U.N. has of requesting
donations and the practice of the Clinton administration to categorize
expenditures as donations removes that accountability," said a senior
official familiar with the GAO report.

Speaking at Heritage Foundation in Washington, U.S. Ambassador to the United
Nations John Negroponte said of U.S. involvement in peacekeeping operations:
"If there is a threat to international peace and security out there, and it
needs to be dealt with, it is better that we do it where possible with other
partners who are picking up part of the cost."

He added: "So I would say that while we always want to be careful about the
costs and we always want to be careful about where it is that we decide to
undertake U.N. peacekeeping operations, there are demonstrable benefits for
the United States."



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