United Nations ? Rich and poor nations battled Thursday over the fate of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s proposals to overhaul the United Nations, sharply divided on how much new authority to give him.

Looming over the debate was an implicit threat that some rich nations – which contribute the vast majority of the U.N. budget – might refuse to pay their dues this year if they do not get the reforms they seek. Such a move would throw the U.N. into a grave financial crisis.

The confrontation in the U.N. General Assembly’s main budget committee underscored the bitter rivalry between wealthy and impoverished nations over the fate of Annan’s demand for a management overhaul that would streamline U.N. operations, cut jobs and give him more budget authority.