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Last update - 08:38 08/07/2008 Muslim nations warn of disaster from food, fuel crisis By Reuters Tags: biofuels, Muslim nations, D8  Warning that escalating food and fuel prices could lead to disaster, a group of developing Muslim nations called on Tuesday for urgent measures to lift food and oil output and a rethink on bio-fuels. Advertisement Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's largest producers of palm oil, told the summit of eight developing Muslim-majority countries (D8), that they wanted to see an end to the conversion of arable land for bio-fuel production. Palm oil is used as a feedstock to produce biofuel and also widely consumed in the region as cooking oil. Leaders of the eight nations comprising nearly one billion people said at the summit in Kuala Lumpur that the twinproblems of food and energy security were putting a severe strain on their countries, especially on the poor. The group of Developing Eight (D-8) countries - Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, Malaysia, Turkey, Pakistan, Nigeria and Bangladesh - represent about one billion people, or 14 percent of the world's population. "We must act on it once and in concert. To delay action on this great challenge of our time is to court disaster," Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the meeting. Yudhoyono's popularity in his country has slumped because of a fuel price hike which also sparked numerous street protests. Other leaders, including host Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also painted a gloomy picture of the crisis, which has seen crude oil prices at record highs and food prices rising by more than 75 percent since 2000. "There is also the danger of the food crisis creating political unrest in many societies," Abdullah said. "I think this meeting must come out with a clear message on the need to boost food production in the world." Abdullah's popularity has also taken a beating after his government hiked up fuel prices. The leaders are expected to discuss a Malaysian proposal for joint investments in food-related projects such as a fertilizer plant. "If we can have a big economic project, a big fertilizer project as a D-8 project to cater for the needs of its members as well as for exports, I think that will be very good," Abdullah told Reuters in an interview on Monday. "Some of the D-8 countries are also oil producing countries, that can assist us." Most fertilizer plants use gas and naphtha as feedstock. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani are also attending the one-day summit. Yudhoyono and Abdullah told the meeting that the bio-fuel frenzy has worsened the global food crisis. "We must not allow the zeal for energy security to come into direct conflict with the basic needs for food production," Abdullah said. An estimated 1 percent of the world's arable land is used for biofuels, a figure that will rise to between 2.5 and 3.8 percent by 2030, depending on policy incentives in different countries, according to International Energy Agency figures. And use of food such as maize, palm oil and sugar to produce biofuel has been blamed in part for record high commodity prices which are driving millions of people into hunger. But the expansion of Malaysia and Indonesia's palm oil driven biodiesel industry has been hampered by sky-high prices of the commodity which is also used in hundreds of food products and in a wide range of consumer goods from soap to cosmetics. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Prisoner exchange Israel signs swap deal, begins exhuming bodies of Hezbollah guerillas. Provocative questions Gaydamak tells TAU student to 'shut up and go to hell' over Angola question.   1.   Rich Muslims helping poor Muslims...? No way! 11:34  |  Michael J 08/07/08   2.   Iran is behind it, in order to deflect an attack on it`s nuclear 12:27  |  Danny 08/07/08   3.   WHAT the oil producing Arab countries could do? 12:48  |  AY 08/07/08   4.   What do they want? 12:53  |  Lisa 08/07/08   5.   # 1 Excellent point! 12:59  |  PETRA 08/07/08   6.   Population 13:15  |  AB 08/07/08   7.   MOFAZ IS RESPONSIBLE 13:52  |  indrajaya 08/07/08   8.   Israel Faucets Could Run Dry This Summer For Arabs Also . 13:52  |  Joseph.E 08/07/08   9.   #6 AB, the fastest growing pop. are the Moslems: no birth-control 14:07  |  AY 08/07/08   10.   Muslims are the root cause of rise in prices &also suffer from it 14:45  |  Genuine Tosefta 08/07/08   11.   #3 AY 14:47  |  Said 08/07/08   12.   Rich wealthly oil producing countries 14:55  |  Josh 08/07/08   13.   #4 Lisa,you hit the nail of the problem 14:57  |  Hastaroth 08/07/08   14.   As Marie would say,"........ 16:06  |  Scott 08/07/08   15.   Lisa`s precious advice on 6 kids family 16:36  |  fk 08/07/08   16.   fk#15 - FU - basic business states otherwise 21:39  |  William 08/07/08

Read & React Bradley Burston: Fear of calling a terrorist a terrorist Responses: 107 Editorial: Hamas has kept its truce commitments thus far Responses: 65 Former water chief: Faucets could run dry this summer Responses: 53 U.S. exports to Iran shot up despite Bush sanction talk Responses: 31 Assad: Direct talks with Israel only after Bush leaves office Responses: 25 Rosner's Domain Iran's bomb-building potential more than doubled (WTR) New Poll: What should Obama do about Iraq? How good/bad is Obama's faith based initiative (WTR) On Israel-Diaspora relations, Israelis are quite clueless More Headlines 21:34 Court rejects appeal against Kuntar release as part of prisoner swap 22:01 EU, Blair: Checkpoints, Gaza blockade hindering Palestinian aid effort 20:51 PMO: Not enough funds to protect all homes in Gaza rocket range 21:13 U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran officials, companies aiding nuke program 19:28 Olmert to be quizzed by police for third time in Talansky probe 19:20 Mortar shell hits W. Negev in fresh Gaza truce violation 17:30 IDF rebukes Egyptian soldiers over fatal cross-border manhunt 17:12 Elie Wiesel testifies against man who allegedly accosted him 18:07 IDF shuts down Nablus mall in campaign against Hamas 18:06 Report: Iran begins war game with warning to U.S. and Israel 20:32 Lebanon Central Bank chief slams U.S. lawsuit claiming banks funded Hezbollah 18:04 Ultra-Orthdox prohibition on entering Temple Mount splinters 19:19 Convicted terrorist released from jail due to declining health 17:57 Syria says will send envoy to France in sign of renewed ties 21:44 Police officer moderately wounds truck robber in Negev Previous Editions Select Day 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul 01 jul 30 jun 29 jun 27 jun 26 jun 25 jun 24 jun

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