Peace Has Its Price, U.S. Finds We Spent $6 Billion To Help U.N. Operations From 1992-95

What price peace? More than $6 billion, the General Accounting Office reported Wednesday.

The United States paid that sum to support U.N. peacekeeping operations in Haiti, Somalia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia between fiscal 1992 and 1995, according to the congressional agency.

Slightly more than half the cost was incurred by the Defense Department, which sent troops and heavy equipment to support missions in each of the countries.

The State Department accounted for about 28 percent of the spending, and the U.S. Agency for International Development accounted for about 19 percent. Other agencies were responsible for the rest.

Overall, according to the GAO study requested by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, U.S. departments and agencies spent $6.6 billion, but the United Nations has reimbursed $79.4 million for some expenses.

During the period studied, the Somalia mission cost $2.2 billion; Bosnia, $2.2 billion; Haiti, $1.6 billion; and Rwanda, $574 million.