EU aides say Bush biotech crop attack unjustified

Source - Reuters Commodities News (Eng)
Saturday, May 24, 2003  02:24

    WASHINGTON, May 23 (Reuters) - European Union officials accused
President George W. Bush on Friday of misrepresenting the facts when he said
European hostility to genetically modified food was hurting efforts to fight
hunger in Africa.

    Speaking on the condition they not be identified, the EU officials said
the European Union provides far more development assistance to African
countries than the United States does.

    They also rejected the notion that Europe was responsible for other
countries refusing genetically modified crops.

    "There's no such thing -- no such thing -- as an action by the European
authorities or the European countries to force African countries or
developing countries to refuse access to genetically modified crops," an EU
official said.

    In speech on Wednesday Bush accused Europe of standing in the way of
biotechnology that could help end hunger in Africa.

    "They have blocked all new bio-crops because of unfounded, unscientific
fears. This has caused many African nations to avoid investing in
biotechnologies, for fear their products will be shut out of European
markets," Bush said. 

    "European governments should join -- not hinder -- the great cause of
ending hunger in Africa," he added.

    An EU official said Europe was "doing a lot, if not the most," to fight
world hunger. In 2001, the EU and its 15-member states provided $23.1
billion in development aid, compared to the U.S. figure of just $8.3
billion, he said.

    They also accused the United States of flooding developing countries
with food aid when commodity prices are low and sharply curtailing that
assistance when prices rise.

    Last week, the United States took its complaint over the EU's
five-year-old moratorium on approval of new genetically modified crops to
the World Trade Organization.

    While Bush was repeating arguments U.S. Trade Representative Robert
Zoellick and other administration officials have made, EU officials said
they were still surprised by the attack.

    "I think the speech did not help to bridge our positions in this case,"
an EU aide said.