The United States will provide 50,000 metric tons of food as humanitarian aid to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the State Department announced Wednesday.

"The United States will be donating, in response to the WFP (World Food Program) appeal, 50,000 metric tons of agricultural commodities for North Korea (DPRK)," the department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said.

"It is not related to the six-party talks; our decisions are made on humanitarian considerations," Ereli said. "It is a humanitarian act based on need."

The donation followed the supplying of 50,000 tons of food aid to the DPRK in 2004 and 100,000 tons the year before.

Washington made the latest donation announcement at a time when Pyongyang indicated earlier this month that it was ready to resume six-party talks involving the United States, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

Pyongyang did not set a date for returning to the talks.

The six-party talks, designed to solve the nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula, was stalled in June last year as the DPRK accused the United States of adopting a hostile policy towards Pyongyang.
 
(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2005)