Taken Question Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC December 1, 2005 Question Taken at the December 1, 2005 Press Briefing North Korea - Food Situation/Food AidQuestion: What is the status of the second half of the U.S. 50,000-ton food aid commitment for North Korea this year? Answer: We have not procured the 25,000 tons originally scheduled to have been shipped later this month due to uncertainties about whether the World Food Program emergency feeding operation to which it was to be delivered would still be in place to receive it and monitor its distribution. We are continuing to monitor the situation with respect to the WFP presence in North Korea. We still think there are serious humanitarian needs in North Korea. But we cannot continue to supply food if we cannot even minimally assure that it will reach its intended recipients. 2005/1124 |