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U.N. chief calls U.S. 'deadbeat' donor
Last Update: 2:31 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon acknowledges he referred to the U.S. as a "deadbeat" donor during a meeting today with members of Congress.
That's raised the hackles of some lawmakers. The senior Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for instance, says the U.S. contributes "a whole lot of" taxpaper dollars to the U.N. and doesn't deserve to be called a deadbeat.
Ban, trying to downplay any slight, says he'd like the U.S. to be more timely in its payments. Washington agrees to foot 22 percent of the U.N.'s bill but is currently about $1 billion behind.
The secretary-general today also urged the U.S. to take a leadership role in an international accord on fighting global warming.
Massachusetts Democrat Bill Delahunt, who heads a House U.N. subcommittee, says he thinks Ban got a generally "very respectful" reception from lawmakers.
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