KABUL, February 9 (RIA Novosti) - The first rail shipment of high-quality Russian flour has arrived in the Afghan city of Hairaton, an economic and trade advisor to the Russian Embassy in Afghanistan said on Monday.
The deliveries of food to Afghanistan, where about 300 people have recently died of hunger and cold during an unusually severe winter, have been set up by the UN World Food Program. Russia is one of the program's leading donors.
"The first two rail cars of flour sent by Russia as humanitarian aid in response to a request from the Afghan government arrived in the Afghan river port of Hairaton via Uzbekistan on Sunday," Georgy Mishin said.
He said Russia had already dispatched 105 rail cars of flour to Afghanistan.
Afghan sources said the Russian flour had already been unloaded and sent to a grain elevator from where it would be distributed to needy Afghan families.
However, an Afghan government insider said Russian humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan were being hampered for unknown reasons by Uzbekistan.
"So far, 30 rail cars with flour being delivered as part of a Russian humanitarian program have piled up on the Afghan border. However, Uzbekistan has been delaying their delivery to Afghanistan, which affects the efficiency of Russian humanitarian supplies to the Afghan people," the source said.
Russia will send a total of 17,900 tons of flour to Afghanistan this February, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"The latest humanitarian aid is intended to help the Afghan government overcome the unfavorable situation as regards food supplies," the Russian foreign ministry said on its website.
Since 2002, Russia has delivered humanitarian aid worth over $40 million to Afghanistan. In January 2008 Russia sent 3,100 tons of wheat flour to the country.
