U.N. Cuts Budget For Peacekeepers In Half

The United Nations slashed its peacekeeping budget Friday by more than half, reflecting the withdrawal of U.N. troops from Yugoslavia and other troubled regions.

The total number of peacekeepers fell from about 70,000 last year to about 26,000 currently, with the largest remaining missions in Angola and Croatia.

Last year, peacekeepers handed over most of their responsibilities in Bosnia-Herzegovina to NATO, sharply reducing one of the United Nations’ largest and most expensive deployments.

The peacekeeping budget approved Friday, for July 1996 to June 1997, provides $1.3 billion for 14 peacekeeping missions. The budget for last year was more than $3 billion.

The United Nations is facing a severe financial crisis. The regular budget has been virtually depleted, forcing the organization to borrow about $1 billion from the separate peacekeeping fund.