BREAKING NEWS

Trump urges UN reform to make US investment worthwhile

By REUTERS

APRIL 24, 2017 22:25

WASHINGTON, April 24 - President Donald Trump complained on Monday that the United States is shouldering an unfair burden of the cost of the United Nations, but said if the world body reforms how it operates, the investment would be worth it.

Trump, who has frequently criticized the cost to the United States of supporting the NATO alliance, took his concerns directly to the ambassadors of the UN Security Council, who joined him at the White House for a lunch.

"If we do a great job, I care much less about the budget because you're talking about peanuts compared to the important work you're doing," Trump told the 15 council envoys.

The United States is the biggest UN contributor, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget. These assessed contributions are agreed by the 193-member UN General Assembly.

Trump said the US share of those budgets was "unfair."

He has proposed a 28 percent budget cut for diplomacy and foreign aid, which includes an unspecified reduction in funding for the United Nations and its agencies, as well as enforcement of a 25 percent cap on US funding for peacekeeping operations.

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