Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




NUKEWARS
US groups say hunger worsening in N.Korea
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Sept 26, 2011


Relief groups on Monday made a new plea to the United States to offer food assistance to North Korea, warning that hunger was worsening and could develop into a major crisis next year.

The United States earlier this month gave flood relief to North Korea, with which it has tense relations, but it has held off from approving food shipments due to concerns that the communist regime will use the aid for political ends.

The five US aid groups which delivered the flood aid said they monitored distribution to civilians and were alarmed at what they saw in North Korea as heavy rains and winds had destroyed buildings, crops and roads.

"Health and food security, always fragile in North Korea, are deteriorating and people are vulnerable," Matt Ellingson of Christian relief group Samaritan's Purse said in a joint statement by the five organizations.

"Already hungry children have been pushed over the edge by continued food shortages and diarrhea caused by dirty water and poor hygiene," he said.

"Without immediate and direct intervention there is significant risk for a far greater crisis to unfold in the coming six to nine months," he said.

Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans died in a famine in the 1990s.

The relief groups said they did not understand why President Barack Obama's administration has not given a response to their calls made months ago for a food aid program focused on women and children.

"Many innocent people are at risk today, and we know that food aid can save lives," said Jim White of Mercy Corps.

The Obama administration has repeatedly said that no decision has been made on food aid. Robert King, the US special envoy for human rights on North Korea, visited in May and said the regime must ensure tight monitoring of aid.

Many members of the rival Republican Party adamantly oppose food aid to North Korea, charging that the aid would prop up Kim Jong-Il's regime as it prepares for a national celebration next year and diverts resources to its nuclear program.

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted in June to bar US food assistance to North Korea. But the Democratic-led Senate removed similar language as they moved ahead this month with an appropriations bill.

The Obama administration has opened talks with North Korea but has insisted that the communist regime needs to commit clearly to past agreements to give up its nuclear weapons and to improve relations with US-allied South Korea.

A senior administration official recently said that the United States was waiting for clearer signals from North Korea.

"The United States, along with other nations, has made a modest contribution to flood assistance. And I think it would be fair to say that we are still awaiting a clear signal from Pyongyang about what their response is to our overall proposals," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The US government said it granted $900,000 in flood relief. The private relief groups pooled together their own resources and said the cargo plane included more than $3 million in supplies including oral rehydration salts, tarps and ready-to-eat foods.

The aid groups distributed food aid to North Korea in 2008 and 2009 until the regime abruptly expelled them.

.


Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








NUKEWARS
N. Korea could be 'worst nightmare' - Australia
Sydney (AFP) Sept 27, 2011
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd on Tuesday urged the world not to be lured into a false sense of security by North Korea, warning its nuclear weapons drive could become "our worst nightmare". The North abandoned six-nation talks in April 2009, a month before staging a second nuclear test which brought worldwide condemnation and fresh United Nations sanctions. Now all sides say the ... read more


NUKEWARS
NASA Partners Uncover New Hypothesis On Crater Debris

China to launch moon-landing probe around 2013

United Launch Alliance Launches GRAIL Spacecrafts To Moon

NASA launches twin spacecraft to study Moon's core

NUKEWARS
Drilling into Arctic Ice

Lockheed Martin Completes Primary Structure of NASA's MAVEN Spacecraft

Opportunity Continues to Study 'Chester Lake' Rock Outcrop

Russia to resume deep space explorations with Phobos expedition

NUKEWARS
OSU partners with NASA

The Sounds Of NASA Available For Download

Students Participate in Plant Investigation With Space Station Crew

NASA Completes Orion Spacecraft Parachute Testing In Arizona

NUKEWARS
China prepares to launch first space lab module this week

Chang'e-2 sends data back from L2

Mythbusting for Tiangong

Tiangong-1 launch will pave way for China's first space station

NUKEWARS
Private US capsule not to dock with ISS

Crew safely returns to Earth after crash

Russia postpones next manned launch to ISS

Russia announces launch of 2 spacecraft in Oct-Nov

NUKEWARS
Sea Launch resumes operations after 2-year break

Ariane 5 marks fifth launch for 2011

Countdown to first Soyuz launch at Kourou under way

Ariane rocket launches satellites after strike delay

NUKEWARS
From the Comfort of Home, Web Users May Have Found New Planets

Rocky Planets Could Have Been Born as Gas Giants

How Common Are Earth-Moon Planetary Systems

From Star Wars to Science Fact: Tatooine-Like Planet Discovered

NUKEWARS
Amazon expected to unveil tablet at mystery event

Sony uniting strengths at online network

Nanoplasmonics And Metamaterials

Lehigh University ceramics researchers shed light on metal embrittlement




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement