BERLIN (AP) 鈥� The head of the United Nations' World Food Program is renewing pressure on oil-rich Persian Gulf countries to give his agency more help to deal with mounting humanitarian crises.
WFP Executive Director David Beasley's comments on Thursday followed a meeting with Development Minister Svenja Schulze of Germany, the agency's second-biggest donor. Schulze also stressed that 鈥渨e simply need more countries to give money鈥� as the global food crisis exacerbated by and rising prices grows.
鈥淲hile the United States, Germany and a few others are really stepping up, there are some countries that need to step up 鈥� for example, the Gulf states,鈥� Beasley told reporters in Berlin.
High oil prices affect not just shipping and fuel costs, but also the costs of fertilizer and food production, he added, 鈥渟o they have a moral obligation, in my opinion, to step up in an unprecedented way.鈥�
鈥淛ust give me a week's work of your net profits 鈥� is that too much to ask?鈥� Beasley said. 鈥淥r at least help (with) the humanitarian crises in your region, like Yemen, in Lebanon, in Syria, in Jordan, in Somalia.鈥�
That, he argued, would take pressure off countries such as the U.S. and Germany and enable 鈥渕ore strategic work鈥� elsewhere.
The Associated Press
