Bush administration offers 50,000 tons of food aid to North Korea

Bush administration offers 50,000 tons of food aid to North Korea    The Bush administration said Wednesday it will donate 50,000 metric tons of food aid to North Korea.
   The aid will be donated through the World Food Program’s 2005 emergency feeding operation. Funding for the donation will come from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s PL-480 Title II program. The mix of commodities for the donation will be determined during consultations with the World Food Program, the administration said.
   According to a report in today’s Washington Post, the administration referred to the aid as a “humanitarian gesture unrelated to the political climate or the potential for renewed talks” regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
   The administration also called on North Korea to improve humanitarian monitoring in the country. “Current restrictions imposed by the government continue to severely limit the ability of the international community to accurately determine the extent of humanitarian needs in the country and the locations of the most vulnerable populations,” said Adam Ereli, White House deputy spokesman, in a June 22 statement.