CHINA / NORTH KOREA: Future of U.N. food aid to North Korea hangs in the balance as negotiations on the programme end without agreement

Record ID: 859055

  • Title: CHINA / NORTH KOREA: Future of U.N. food aid to North Korea hangs in the balance as negotiations on the programme end without agreement
  • Date: 31st October 2005
  • Summary: (ASIA) BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 31, 2005) (REUTERS) BRIEFING BY RICHARD RAGAN, HEAD OF WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME OPERATIONS IN NORTH KOREA SOUNDBITE (English) RICHARD RAGAN, HEAD OF WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME OPERATIONS IN NORTH KOREA, SAYING: "The North Koreans have asked us to stay, OK, and they've asked us to stay in writing, they've clearly said they want us to stay. But for us, it's a question of whether we can stay under the kind of conditions to manage a successful programme. I mean we're not just going to stay there to stay there, we're going to stay there because we can have an impact and to have an impact we believe we have to have certain operational requirements that are met and that's sort of where the negotiation is now"
  • Embargoed: 15th November 2005 12:00
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  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVAEUO576D18EY3D8JYUW3BEVHXM
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  • Story Text: The World Food Programme on Monday (October 31) said it had failed to reach an agreement with North Korea on the future of its aid. North Korea has said it wants to curtail foreign aid and move towards development assistance - leaving relief organisations scrambling to negotiate to maintain their programmes.
    Public distribution centres are now stepping up handouts of locally-grown corn and rice. Analysts have said the move is part of a pattern of the state reasserting its control amid official disquiet over monitoring. The WFP recently wrapped up two days of negotiations in Rome with North Korea, but Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in North Korea, said in Beijing on Monday (October 31) that differences remained. "The North Koreans have asked us to stay, OK, and they've asked us to stay in writing, they've clearly said they want us to stay. But for us, it's a question of whether we can stay under the kind of conditions to manage a successful programme. I mean we're not just going to stay there to stay there, we're going to stay there because we can have an impact and to have an impact we believe we have to have certain operational requirements that are met and that's sort of where the negotiation is now," said Ragan.
    The WFP began working in North Korea in the mid-1990s after it suffered a famine that killed as many as 2.5 million people. Ragan said the lack of agreement was having an immediate impact on its programmes in North Korea, where it tries to feed 6 and a half million of the nation's neediest. "Donors have very clearly said to us, because the humanitarian programme is stopping, we're going to withhold our contributions. So food is not coming as a result of it," said Ragan. The government is reviving its public distribution system, but Ragan said it would be a mammoth undertaking to expect it to distribute hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food per month across the nation.
    While North Korea has said it expects a bumper food crop this year, Ragan said question marks remained over food security in the longer term. "Maybe they will be comfortable this year, but will they be comfortable next year and if WFP closes down its operations, getting us back in there in a big way is going to be very difficult if there's going to be a requirement," said Ragan.
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