BAGHDAD, May 11 (UPI) -- More than $1.8 billion in food aid will be brought into Iraq over a six-month period starting June 1, a U.N. food official said Sunday.
Because of looting and other security problems in Baghdad, most of the food aid coming into Iraq is sitting on its borders, said James Morris, executive director of the World Food Program, the United Nations' food agency.
"Security is an overwhelming issue for us -- our warehouses, our mills, our offices and law and order generally," Morris said.
About 100 metric tons (110 short tons) of food have come into Iraq since Baghdad was taken over by U.S. forces four weeks ago. Fruit and vegetables are available for sale in the streets and many supermarkets now are open.
"We're going to work through this without any Iraqis going hungry," Morris said. "Iraq is a country with adequate resources to feed its population, so we're hoping the normal economic system will fall back in place within six months."
Before the fighting started, 60 percent of Iraqis received 100 percent of their food from the oil-for-food program with the United Nations, Morris said. The other 40 percent received a large amount of their food from the oil-for-food program, which let the Saddam Hussein regime use money from the sale of oil to purchase humanitarian goods.
Most Iraqi families stockpiled enough food before the war to last them three or four months more, Morris said.
Security in Baghdad appears to be getting better, with some police cars and armed U.S. Humvees patrolling the streets. But there is still sporadic gunfire throughout the day in various parts of the capital, and many shops remain closed on what should be a main shopping day after the Arab weekend.
"There's not full security yet, and many business owners don't feel secure," said Akram Juad, 38, who was part of a contingent of tribal leaders who met with a British diplomat earlier in the day to ask him for help. "They promised us international police. But unless they come this week, it's not quick enough."
