Durban II is now funded...

I wish Canada had voted against the budget...

The General Assembly approved a two-year U.N. budget of $4.17 billion Saturday, with the United States casting the only "no" vote because of objections to funding for a follow-up to conference it considered anti-Israel.

The 142-1 vote in the 192-member world body climaxed weeks of discussions and an all-night session that failed to reach consensus because of the U.S. objections that the budget included $6.7 million for a follow-up to the 2001 World Conference Against Racism. Forty-nine countries did not have delegates in the chamber for the vote.

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said the insistence of some members of the Group of 77, which represents 132 mainly developing countries and China, to fund a follow-up conference from the U.N.'s regular budget made it impossible for the United States to support the overall budget proposal.