UNITED NATIONS, Nov 24: As the United States threatened to delay the United Nations budget unless reforms are approved by the General Assembly by the end of the year, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram on Wednesday downplayed the report of a crisis.

When asked to comment on US Ambassador John Bolton’s implied threat to block the UN Budget unless the UN General Assembly approves the proposed management and other reforms, Mr Akram said: “Its too early to say that there is a crisis (of budget).”

“The positions are now being taken and the stage will now come of negotiations, the G-77 group of nations have made their position clear on the reforms and now we move on to the stage of negotiations,” he added.

The US move could cause havoc for UN operations, diplomats here said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Mr Bolton said that Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his staff have acknowledged they might not have all management and other reform proposals until February, after the December 31 budget deadline.

“I don’t think we should be in a position of losing the momentum for reform because of the budget process,” he told reporters.