The World - News from Jan. 1, 1987

President Reagan hailed recent U.N. budget reforms as a historic step and said his Administration will ask Congress to end funding cuts that brought the world body near bankruptcy, it was reported. U.N. spokesman Francois Giuliani said Reagan’s reaction was “the most positive statement of support for the United Nations in this Administration.” He said Reagan telephoned Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar on Dec. 22 and expressed satisfaction with the reform package, unanimously adopted by the General Assembly three days earlier, and said he “hoped it would enable him” to obtain additional U.N. funding from Congress. The reforms give the industrialized nations that contribute the most money a greater say in allocating the funds.