U.N. COST SHARING

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30151, 7 June 1963, Page 8

U.N. COST SHARING

Africans Object (N.Z Press Assn —Coppnpht) NEW YORK. June 4. Arab and African countries were reported today to be baulking at plana to solve tbe United Nations financial crisis by spreading peacekeeping costs among all members on an assessed basis. United Press International said. The Arab countries wanted a provision that "aggressor” countries should pey coots of peace - keeping aperatuons necessitated by their actoons. Some of them, like several African countries. wanted their assessed share of the costs drastically reduced or eliminated, the news agency said.

The assessment plan, contained in five resolutions worked out by a negotiating team of rich and poor countries, provides that the first 5.500.000 dollars of the 42.500,000 dollars estimated cost of the Congo and Middle East operations flor the rest of this year shall be levied on the regular budgetary scale of assessments.

Eighty-five under-devel-oped countries would ba granted a 55 per cent, reduction of their regular asscasments for the remainder of the costs. This would leave an estimated shortage of 3,880.000 dollars to be raised by voluntary contributions from the industrialised countries, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Britain. Appeal to Russia At today's meeting of the United Nations General Assembly’s budgetary committee, Malaya appealed to the Soviet Union to abandon ‘•■their far-fetched arguments” in avoiding payments, Reuter reported.

Speaking tor the smaller States which relied upon the United Nations for their protection, the Malayan delegate, Mr Ramani, said that in the case that one of them became the victim of aggression “we are desperately anxious that our cry for help should not be drowned in futile controversy."