[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 12, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            PORTUGAL TO INCREASE ITS UNITED NATIONS PAYMENTS

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                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 11, 1995
  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, Congress has pushed hard to reduce the 
U.S. assessment for U.N. peacekeeping. That can only happen when other 
countries increase their payments.
  I was therefore pleased to learn that Portugal has voluntarily agreed 
to increase its U.N. peacekeeping assessments, by moving from the group 
C category, where it pays about 0.04 percent of U.N. peacekeeping 
costs, to the higher-paying group B category. This change will be 
implemented over a 5-year period.
  I congratulate Portugal on taking this step, and urge other 
appropriate group C countries to follow Portugal's lead.
  I ask that this correspondence relating to this decision be included 
in the Record.

                                         Embaixada de Portugal

                                        Washington, June 29, 1995.
     Hon. Lee H. Hamilton,
     International Relations Committee, U.S. House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Hamilton: Please find herewith the U.N. SG press 
     release stating his appreciation for the Portuguese 
     Government decision to increase its share in the financing of 
     the peace-keeping operations of that organization.
       In responding favorably to the appeal of the U.N. 
     Secretary-General, Portugal will come to feature in Group 
     ``B'', which encompasses the countries that provide increased 
     financial assistance for those operations, thus contributing 
     proportionally to its share for the U.N. regular budget. In 
     practical terms, this means an increase of 500%, phased-in 
     over the next five years.
       This measure, a great burden though it may be for Portugal, 
     derives from the wish of the Portuguese Government to 
     alleviate the difficult financial situation besieging the 
     United Nations, not least in the area of peace-keeping. It 
     also sends a clear signal about Portugal's commitment to 
     finding solutions, through the United Nations, to the vital 
     questions which confront the international community. 
     Moreover, it underlines unequivocally a serious and full 
     commitment to the principles and objectives enshrined in the 
     Charter.
       With this decision, the Portuguese Government wishes to 
     reiterate both its support for the U.N. activities and 
     reaffirm the expanded role it has been assuming in 
     multilateral fora. This is also a step toward achieving 
     solutions to the serious financial crisis with which the 
     United Nations is faced as well as responding in a meaningful 
     way to the imperative need for an overhaul of that 
     organization's financial system.
           Sincerely,
                                      Fernando Andresen Guimaraes,
     Ambassador of Portugal.
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   The Following Statement Is Attributable to the Spokesman for the 
                    Secretary-General, June 13, 1995

       The Secretary-General is pleased to announce that the 
     Government of Portugal has responded positively to the 
     initiative he took last year inviting Governments to consider 
     increasing their contribution to peace-keeping operations.
       Ambassador Catarino of Portugal met with the Secretary-
     General on Friday, 9 June 1995, to convey a letter from his 
     Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressing the willingness of 
     the Government of Portugal to increase its support to peace-
     keeping operations by accepting that its assessment for 
     peace-keeping operations should be at the same rate as for 
     the regular budget.
       Currently a member of Group C--the Group of countries that 
     contribute to peace-keeping operations on the basis of 20 per 
     cent of their regular budget scale of assessments--Portugal 
     has agreed to move voluntarily to Group B, the time-frame for 
     such a change to be agreed upon. Group B is the group of 
     countries that contribute to peace-keeping operations on the 
     basis of the same scale as their regular budget assessment. 
     The competition of these Groups was established by the 
     General Assembly some twenty years ago.
       The Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation to 
     the Government of Portugal and stated that he felt encouraged 
     by this tangible demonstration of Portugal's commitment to 
     the work of the United Nations, particularly at a time when 
     the financial situation of the Organization was so 
     precarious.
     

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