text: date, in July {2459th meeting], I said that we should per- haps be asking ourselves whether there is anything the Council can do, beyond renewing the mandate to help the Lebanese Government regain that independence, sover- eignty and territorial integrity for which we continually reiterate our support. We are still no nearer a response to that question. It cannot be right simply to continue extending the UNIFIL mandate without giving thought to how it can be updated to reflect the different circum- stances with which we are now faced. 52. It is saddening that the Secretary-General, in his report, should yet again have called the Council’s at- tention to the increasing financial difficulties faced by UNIFIL. The accumulated shortfall in the UNIFIL Spe- cial Account has increased since July by a further $5.5 million, to $173.9 million. The Secretary-General rightly expresses his extreme concern about this state of affairs, which he warns could jeopardize the functioning of the Force. 53. It is scandalous that some countries still refuse to pay their assessed contributions. They are throwing the burden onto the troop-contributing countries, several of which are developing countries which can ill afford it. They are also rapidly increasing the overall deficit of the United Nations, already in excess of $300 million, a deficit which, in the end, has to be covered by all Member States. 54. I should like to associate myself with the remarks of the representative of the Netherlands on this subject, and I trust that the withholding States will reconsider their pol- icy and pay their fair share of the costs of UNIFIL instead of expecting other, often poorer, States to bear it for them. 61. I should also like to refresh the memory of the members of the Council. It was the Soviet Union that 
analysis: The text appears to be discussing the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the financial difficulties it is facing due to the lack of payment of assessed contributions by some countries. The speaker is expressing concerns about the impact of this shortfall on the functioning of the Force and the burden it places on troop-contributing countries.