NO RUSH TO PAY DUES TO THE U.N.

A long-simmering dispute over payment of United States' arrearages in dues to the United Nations has once again bogged down over the abortion issue. It is said that America's owes as much as $1.3 billion. Also jeopardized are billions in proposed American funding for the International Monetary Fund, supposedly to help ease the Asian monetary crisis. Setting aside for the moment whether that is an accurate or a disputable figure, how does abortion enter in?

The answer is found in the fierce determination of the Clinton administration to fund U.N. agencies that aggressively promote family planning and reproductive rights -- read abortion -- measures around the world. This wasn't an issue during the Reagan and Bush administrations, owing to their unwavering support of the pro-life cause. With the arrival of the Clintons in 1993, however, this has been an annual dispute between Congress, whose Republican leadership is pro-life, and the administration.

Now we are told by Secretary General Kofi Annan that the U.S. may have our General Assembly voting rights suspended if we don't pay up $600 million of the back dues. The U.S. position within the Security Council, where we hold veto power, would be unaffected. To say the least, this veiled threat isn't likely to go over well with the American public. President Clinton has said he will veto any legislation that imposes the restrictions on abortion funding.

Let him. If he makes good on this threat, then everyone will know where to fix the blame: on an aggressively pro-abortion administration headed by the same man who has twice vetoed a congressional ban on the gruesome practice of partial-birth abortion.