The British ambassador to the UN, Sir Jeremy Greenstock,said the deal was welcome but that there was still a lot of work to do to make the conditions acceptable. However there has been condemnation of the decision to restrict funding to international family planning groups, a condition demanded by anti-abortion Republicans. Amy Coen of lobby group Population Action International said the vast majority of Americans disagree with linking the US debt with the issue of abortion. The US Congress is doing a deal that is not at all in alliance with what the American viewpoint is.
Republicans look likely to agree to the deal if their conditions are met.
House Republicans had sought to make the reduction permanent and much larger. A deal on the UN dues is one of the final remaining obstacles to a deal between the White House and Congress on the budget for the fiscal year 2000, which began on 1 October. Emergency funding measures have kept the US Government running since then. Failure to pay would not jeopardise the US General Assembly seat or its vote on the UN Security Council. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.