UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday tried to smooth over his criticism of the US after the White House objected to his description of the country as a “deadbeat” because of its late UN payments.
“My point was simply that the United Nations needs the fullest support of its members, and never more so than in these very demanding times,” Ban told reporters at UN headquarters.
Ban used the word “deadbeat” on Wednesday during a private meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol, one day after he met with US President Barack Obama in the Oval Office.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Ban’s “word choice was unfortunate,” given that the US is the world body’s largest contributor.
The US pays 22 percent of the organization’s nearly US$5 billion operating budget, but is perennially late paying its dues in part because of its budget calendar, but also over political issues.
Asked on Thursday whether Ban should retract his comment, Gibbs said some recognition by Ban of the US role would be appropriate.
“I think given the contribution that the American taxpayer makes, I do think it would be appropriate to acknowledge that role,” Gibbs told reporters at his daily briefing.
Ban had gone to the White House at Obama’s invitation on Tuesday, then made the rounds on Wednesday in Washington seeking to improve relations between the UN and its single biggest financial backer.
On Thursday, the UN chief called his choice of words a “misunderstanding.”
“I noted how generous the United States has been in supporting the UN, both in terms of assessed and voluntary contributions. At the same time, I noted that the United States is also the largest debtor, owing more than US$1 billion in arrears, soon to reach US$1.6 billion,” he said.
The US is behind on its payments partly because its budget runs on a different calendar than the UN’s, but also because Congress and previous US administrations have withheld funding to try to push through UN reforms or because of other ideological disputes.
Obama has pledged to change that.
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the senior Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee, said she took “great umbrage” at Ban’s use of the word “deadbeat” to characterize the US.
During a brief interview in a House office building hallway, Ban acknowledged with a laugh that he had used that term. He said he did it to draw attention to the fact that the UN needs the money.
On Wednesday night, after The Associated Press reported Ban’s remarks to House leaders, the UN chief’s staff issued a similar statement to “clarify” what he said. It also said that Ban “enjoys an excellent working relationship with the United States and appreciates the many ways that it supports the United Nations.”
Ban drew muted support from his meetings in Congress, where members privately described him as dedicated, thoughtful and serious but generating little excitement. Some of the House and Senate leaders who met with Ban agreed with his assessment of the US’ late payments.
“Clearly they have an interest in the United States meeting its responsibility. In terms of peacekeeping, we’re about US$670 million behind, and I think the argument is well-stated,” said Democratic Representative Bill Delahunt, who also sits on the House Foreign Relations Committee and chairs its subcommittee with oversight of the UN.
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese