Mr Kofi Annan has welcomed a decision by the US to abandon a bid to stop its troops from being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.
Responding to the news, Mr Annan said the move would help to maintain unity in the security council at a difficult time.
Last night the Bush administration withdrew a resolution to renew an exemption from the court after it failed to get enough votes in the UN Security Council. US troops have had immunity from prosecution under a deal struck two years ago. It runs out on June 30th.
Members cited worldwide anger over the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal and strong opposition from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The United States in the past had threatened to shut down UN peacekeeping missions and in 2002 actually vetoed one when the council hesitated in approving the resolution.
"We will have to examine each of these missions case by case," State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said in Washington. "We will have to look at it in terms of staffing, providing Americans to participate in peacekeeping missions, what the risk might be of prosecution by a court to which we're not party."
But diplomats said the United States might have difficulties curtailing UN missions at a time it was seeking troops to help in Iraq and had a strong interest in operations in Liberia, Haiti and a future venture in Sudan.