WASHINGTON - Congress is threatening to withhold dues owed to the United Nations by the United States if Israel is not included in the organization's West European and Others Group (WEOG). The warning comes as European Union countries are set to meet on Tuesday in Brussels to discuss the issue.
In a letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke, which was also received by more than 20 other ambassadors at the organization, Congressman Howard Berman, a Democrat from California, urged a quick decision on the matter of Israel's WEOG membership. Berman, a commited supporter of paying U.S. debts to the international organization, noted that if substantial progress is not made in the near future on the issue, he and other members of Congress, "including dedicated supporters of the UN," will find it difficult to promise that American debts to the organization will be paid in full.
The dominant obstacle keeping Israel from entering the WEOG is the European Union, whose 15 members constitute a majority in the group. During the last six months, the issue of Israel's inclusion in the group has been discussed four times in Brussels. A decision to include Israel is expected in the Tuesday meeting of the EU's political committee. The matter will then move to a vote by the WEOG at the United Nations in New York.
In principle, the EU does not object to Israel joining WEOG "temporarily" until it can join the Asian regional group. EU support for Israel is also based on a series of terms that will restrict Israel within the group. Under those terms, Israel would not be allowed to function in official UN roles outside New York, such as in Geneva. Israel would also not be allowed to compete for membership in other committees for as long as two years, meaning, for example, that Israel would be unable to seek a position on the rotating roster of the UN Security Council.
The current geographic division of groups at the United Nations is considered to be an anachronism by several countries, including Australia and New Zealand, members of WEOG. The two South Pacific nations would prefer to participate in a smaller Asian group, while Holbrooke says that the United States and Canada would join an Americas group if one was established.