Senate panel OKs boost in U.N. peacekeeping funds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States would increase the amount it pays for U.N. peacekeeping operations and pay some back dues under a bill approved on Wednesday by a Senate panel.

"At a time when we are seeking a robust U.N. force in Darfur, and are relying on U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, we should pay our dues in full," said Sen. Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, which passed the bill.

He said the U.N. peacekeeping missions were in locations in which stability was in the U.S. national interest -- such as Haiti, Lebanon, Kosovo and Sudan.

The United Nations assesses U.S. dues at about 27 percent of the U.N. budget, but the United States has been paying only 25 percent. The legislation the Senate panel approved and sent to the floor for a vote would lift that self-imposed cap on payments to the U.N. peacekeeping budget to about 27 percent for calendar years 2006 to 2008. It was sponsored by Biden, a presidential hopeful.

Biden's office said that because of the cap, the United States was $117 million in arrears in its payments to the United Nations for peacekeeping missions.

Congressional appropriators would also have to approve any increased U.S. payments. The relevant Senate panel addresses the issue on Thursday. Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who oversees U.N. funding, has said helping meet U.S. obligations to U.N. peacekeeping efforts is a high priority.