NEW YORK, Aug 3: The international diplomatic community and the New York City are once again embroiled in a bitter dispute over payment of outstanding parking fines owed by the diplomatic community which figures in millions of dollars.

On Friday New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued an ultimatum to the diplomats of some 189 countries, who have there UN mission and consular offices in the city, that if they don’t pay up the outstanding dues as of August 9, the city would tow away their cars.

“They will have to pay their outstanding dues before they get their cars back from the impound,” Bloomberg said.

New York City is also in midst of a fiscal crisis and aims to raise funds by recovering outstanding fines from the diplomats.

Pakistan consulate and the mission owes about $144,000 to the city, whereas Nigeria’s outstanding is $215,000.

Every year around the opening of the United Nations General Assembly session, the city opens a full scale assault on diplomats who are known as ‘scofflaws’. Two years ago the US State Department had to step in and resolve the dispute when former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani threatened similar action.

However, it is not clear whether this time the US State Department would intervene on behalf of the diplomats, who enjoy diplomatic immunity.

Many nations, including Russia, which were involved in the parking fines dispute had also threatened US diplomats with similar action in their countries if the city went ahead with its plan to impound diplomatic license plate cars.