Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the United States hopes to announce new steps in the coming weeks to help ease food shortages around the world. Rice noted that President George W. Bush earlier this week ordered the release of $200 million in U.S. emergency food assistance to help developing countries in Africa and elsewhere. The top U.S. diplomat said the money was in addition to an extra $350 million the Bush administration requested from Congress for emergency food aid this year. In recent years, the United States has provided more than half of all global food aid, she said. “In the weeks ahead, we hope to announce … further steps to help ease the burden of rising food prices on the world's neediest people,” Rice told reporters. “The rapid rise in global food prices is an urgent concern. … Rising food prices are a source of social instability, as we are seeing in a number of places around the globe.” Rice said there were several causes for the higher prices, including global demand, droughts, and record-high fuel costs. “But one thing is clear: this is a current emergency, but it has long-term global challenges,” she said, adding that ultimately the world must find a long-term solution to the rising costs of basic foods. One o the most important steps the world could take would be to successfully complete the World Trade Organization's (WTO's) long-stalled Doha Round of negotiations for a global trade deal, Rice said, echoing sentiment from the World Bank. This “would help to increase agricultural productivity and moderate prices,” she said.
