Lebanon says it will pay UN dues after losing voting rights

FILE PHOTO: Mohammad Najib Azmi Mikati, Caretaker Prime Minister of Lebanon, addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon will pay arrears to the United Nations to regain its rights at the world body, its foreign ministry said on Friday, after the country, which is in deep financial crisis, lost U.N. voting rights for the second time in three years due to unpaid contributions.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a Jan. 17 letter, listed Lebanon along with Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, South Sudan and Venezuela as countries that had currently lost their U.N. General Assembly vote.