Washington - The US House of Representatives yesterday voted to condition its final arrears payment to the United Nations on regaining its seat on the UN Commission for Human Rights.
The measure, which passed 252-165, would conditionally withhold a final portion of the arrears payments - some $244 million due in 2004 - but would not affect payments of $585 million due this year.
The vote reflects US legislators' outrage that the United States lost its seat on the commission, polling last among four candidates from Western European and associated countries in a ballot last Thursday.