• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

U.S. delegation in Eritrea to discuss food aid

Posted on: Monday, 29 August 2005, 07:52 CDT

By Ed Harris

ASMARA (Reuters) - A U.S. government team has arrived in Eritrea for talks on food aid following Eritrea's request that Washington's main development agency stop working in the Red Sea state, U.S. officials said on Monday

The delegation includes Donald Yamamoto, deputy assistant secretary for African affairs at the State Department, and senior officials from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said the official.

"Part of the discussion will be how we deal with the food aid situation and the modalities for the future," a U.S. embassy official said.

On Friday, U.S. ambassador Scott DeLisi told a public meeting Eritrea had asked USAID to stop its operations here, raising concerns that food aid to Eritrea -- one of the most food aid dependent countries in the world -- could be affected.

DeLisi said without elaborating that the Eritrean government had told USAID it was uncomfortable with the agency's activities.

The United States is the largest donor of food aid to Eritrea, providing a total 774,679 tons of food over the past five years, according to a recent U.S. embassy report.

In June, the U.S. government announced a further donation of 200,000 tons bringing its total donation to 353,905 tons for 2005, more than the 342,000 tonnes of food aid needed this year.

Eritrean government and aid officials are hoping for a better harvest this year, following good seasonal rains and the cultivation of 550,000 hectares (1.36 million acres) -- 23 percent more than 2004.

"One of the consequences of the Eritrean government's request might be that other donors have to be more on the ball (alert) if food aid gaps arise," said one Western diplomat.

"I don't see how any other donor could supply food aid to the same degree," said another.

"REASONABLY CONFIDENT"

U.S. food aid to Eritrea comes from USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is distributed by the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP), non-governmental organizations (NGO), and the Eritrean government.

"We are reasonably confident that donations to WFP will not be affected in the short to medium term," said Jean-Pierre Cebron, WFP Country Director in Eritrea.

Meanwhile NGOs are still waiting to see the practical implications of a May 11 proclamation governing their work.

The proclamation requires international NGOs to register on an annual basis, have a minimum $2 million at their disposal in Eritrea, and pay tax on imports of items for relief aid, including food.

"We simply do not know what is going to happen," said one aid worker. "We are advocating to continue humanitarian operations, but are waiting for decisions from the U.S. and Eritrean governments," he said.

Source: REUTERS

More News in this Category