URUGUAYAN FINANCE MINISTER SAYS UN OFFICIALS

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000115 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MARR UNSC UY SUBJECT: URUGUAYAN FINANCE MINISTER SAYS UN OFFICIALS BLAMING U.S. AND OTHERS' ARREARS FOR LATE PAYMENT TO URUGUAYAN PEACEKEEPERS ¶1. (SBU) Uruguayan Minister of Economy and Finance Alvaro Garcia requested a meeting with Ambassador Wolff to express Uruguay's concern about the UN's late disbursements to Uruguayan peacekeepers. Garcia said Uruguay has been contributing to UN peacekeeping operations for years, regardless of the changes in government and that Uruguay ranks among the top contributing countries per capita. However, the UN's failure to pay Uruguay's peacekeepers has now become a sensitive domestic issue, because the families of the soldiers--in some cases their widows--have openly complained in the domestic press that they have not received payments for up to a full year. As a result, the Ministry of Defense has had to borrow money to make up for delayed UN funds. This extra-budgetary cost is becoming an increasing burden on the government's budget. Despite the systematic delay in payments, Garcia said Uruguay is still committed to UN peacekeeping missions. ¶2. (SBU) Garcia said he met with U/SG for Peacekeeping Operations Alain LeRoy and U/SG for Field Support Susana Malcorra as well as with Japan's PR Yukio Takasu to raise this issue. According to Garcia, Malcorra responded that there is simply no money to pay the peacekeepers and that some missions, particularly MINUSTAH, are consistently in the red. Ambassador Wolff remarked that USUN speaks often with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and that this issue has never been raised. Garcia did not mention LeRoy or Malcorra by name, but he said UN officials blame the major budget-contributing countries for their failure to pay their UN dues on time, which consequently affects the UN's ability to pay the troop-contributing countries. Garcia said this issue needs to be settled soon for future planning of missions. Ambassador Wolff said we would look into the matter with the appropriate UN officials. RICE