US to send 500k tons of food to NKorea
WASHINGTON (AP) - May 16, 2008 The State Department announced the agreement Friday after weeks
of talks about how the food would be distributed. The United States
wants assurances that food won't be diverted or used improperly by
the government of Kim Jong Il. The U.N. has warned that North Korea
urgently needs outside aid to avert a worse humanitarian disaster.
The U.S. says it's unsure how much the deal will cost, because
prices will depend on such variables as the costs of food and
shipping, both of which are rising fast.
The Bush administration says the aid is unrelated to its nuclear
disarmament deal with North Korea.
