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China-Japan-Koreas
U.S. Considers Sending N. Korea Food Aid
2005-05-22
The Bush administration is weighing North Korea's needs against hunger in other countries as it decides whether to provide food assistance this year to the economically lagging communist nation, the State Department said Friday.
How about "Not only 'no,' but 'hell no!'"
The Bush administration and North Korea are at odds over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, but State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said no political considerations affect the decision on food aide. Disputing a published report that the flow of American food to the nation had been halted, Boucher said "there are other places" that need help and that the United States wanted to make sure delivery to the North Korean people can be monitored. It is not unusual to take time making a decision — last year's was made in late July — and one is likely by the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, Boucher said.
Posted by:Fred

#7  What idiot thinks that food aid will do anything...?

An unnamed Someone in the State Dept., according to the article. Someone is probably trying to influence policy by talking to the journalist who wrote the article. I wouldn't give high probability to Someone being effective, now that Condi Rice is in charge down there.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-05-22 21:03  

#6  This could be the dumbest damn thing I have read for weeks. What idiot thinks that food aid will do anything but prolong these animals in power? The most dangerous government in the world and you want to help feed them? How softheaded have we become?
Posted by: Just About Enough!   2005-05-22 16:34  

#5  Let the Chicoms and the SKors enable this psychpatic regime if they want. The faster the NORK government falls, the faster the world can rescue the North Korean people from their half-century nightmare. The NORKS just divert humanitarian aid to their govt elites and the army. If we continue aid, we enable the NORKS. End of story, ugly as it is.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-05-22 11:13  

#4  The U.S. provided North Korea 50,000 metric tons of food last year. We are fools.
Posted by: Tom   2005-05-22 10:33  

#3  ..and that the United States wanted to make sure delivery to the North Korean people can be monitored.

Please. Even making this demand is nonsense, as it's unlikely the NKors are going to agree, and if somehow they do, they've probably got something up their sleeve to work their way around any sort of monitoring setup.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-05-22 04:24  

#2  It doesn't sound like Bush is doing any considering... not if the decision might be taken by Sept 30th. As the article says, there are other hungry countries, and even America's aid is not infinite. Pushing North Korea down the queue is politer than refusing outright, but no less definitive.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-05-22 03:28  

#1  As has been said here before, "Let them eat yellowcake!"
Posted by: PBMcL   2005-05-22 01:49  

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