LONDON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged Friday to work with “real urgency” for a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to spare civilians, but stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.
“We have a sense of real urgency in getting to a diplomatic resolution and the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, such that there can be real security along the border between Israel and Lebanon,” Blinken said after meeting Lebanon’s prime minister in London, referring to calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah.
Jordan’s foreign minister on Friday called for pressure on Israel to end “ethnic cleansing,” in strong remarks as he met in London.
Deploring the humanitarian situation in northern Gaza, Ayman Safadi told Blinken: “We do see ethnic cleansing taking place, and that has got to stop.”
Blinken sees ‘real urgency’ for ‘diplomatic resolution’ in Lebanon
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Blinken sees ‘real urgency’ for ‘diplomatic resolution’ in Lebanon
- Jordan’s foreign minister calls for pressure on Israel to end ‘ethnic cleansing’ during meeting with Blinken
US pays about $160m of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations
- The UN has said the United States owes $2.196 billion to its regular budget
- Trump has said the United Nations has not lived up to its potential
UNITED NATIONS: The United States has paid about $160 million of the nearly $4 billion it owes the United Nations, the UN said Thursday.
The Trump administration’s payment is earmarked for the UN’s regular operating budget, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told The Associated Press.
The UN has said the United States owes $2.196 billion to its regular budget, including $767 million for this year, and $1.8 billion for a separate budget for the far-flung UN peacekeeping operations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last month that the world body faces “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules are overhauled or all 193 member nations pay their dues, a message clearly directed at the United States.
The disclosure of the payment came as President Donald Trump convened the first meeting of the Board of Peace, a new initiative many see as his attempt to rival the UN Security Council’s role in preventing and ending conflict around the world.
Trump has said the United Nations has not lived up to its potential. His administration did not pay anything to the United Nations in 2025, and it has withdrawn from UN organizations, including the World Health Organization and the cultural agency UNESCO, while pulling funding from dozens of others.
UN officials have said 95 percent of the arrears to the UN’s regular budget is from the United States.
