US denies NKorea food aid linked to nuclear declaration
Updated
![North Korea demolished a cooling tower in its Yongbyon facility to symbolise scrapping its nuclear program. [AFP]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/nkorea_yongbyon_afp_270608.jpg "North Korea demolished a cooling tower in its Yongbyon facility to symbolise scrapping its nuclear program. [AFP]")
North Korea demolished a cooling tower in its Yongbyon facility to symbolise scrapping its nuclear program. [AFP]
The United States denies there is a link between the arrival in North Korea of a first shipment of US food aid to Pyongyang's long-awaited declaration last week on its nuclear program.
A state department spokesman, Tom Casey, says anyone asserting a linkage is either extremely misinformed or malicious in intent.
The World Food Program says a US-flagged ship arrived on Sunday in the western port of Nampo carrying 37,000 tonnes of wheat.
It's the first installment of 500,000 tonnes of food promised by Washington to the communist state earlier this year.
Washington froze food assistance back in 2006, citing concerns about distribution.
Now it says NGOs are able to monitor distribution of US aid.
