Dick Lugar: “Members who have followed this debate will recall that yesterday afternoon I offered an amendment to the division C of…”

“Members who have followed this debate will recall that yesterday afternoon I offered an amendment to the division C of this bill, that portion dealing with the United Nations. Essentially, the task before the Senate, and before our Government as a whole, is how do we relate the United Nations as an organization we have supported, and one important to our foreign policy. It is an international organization that has been under attack in this country. And, we have not paid our bills. As I pointed out yesterday, the legislation before us attempts to remedy the situation over a 3-year period of time with 18 pages of very substantial conditions that must be met by the United Nations in order for the United States debt repayment money to flow to that body. Mr. President, my amendment is very straightforward. It substitutes for the 18 pages of conditions in the bill my amendment which says there are no conditions for our payment and we will, in fact, make the payment of $819 million in two installments in 2-years' time. The $819 million has been a sum the administration and the Foreign Relations Committee has agreed that we owe. In addition, we would be receiving approximately $107 million back from the United Nations for peacekeeping services we have offered. The two ideas before the Senate are important because this is a turning point of some significance in our foreign policy.”