Tuesday, February 25, 2003
US pledges new food aid to North Korea
Associated Press Seoul, February 25
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Tuesday the United States will pledge up to 100,000 tons of food aid to North Korea this year. Washington will provide an initial donation of 40,000 tons of food and is prepared to contribute as much as 60,000 tons more in response to an emergency plea by the World Food Programme, the UN agency that manages food aid to the impoverished communist country.
Speaking after the inauguration ceremony of South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, Powell said donors are trying to make sure "needy people receive the food that is intended for them." He did not talk about time frames for distributing the aid or say what preconditions are necessary for going beyond the initial 40,000 tons.
Powell said the United States shipped 157,000 tons of food to North Korea last year, making the United States the country's biggest single donor. During a stopover in Tokyo on his way to Seoul, Powell said the United States didn't want to use food aid as a "political weapon" and that new aid would be forthcoming because hunger continues to be widespread in North Korea.
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