ROME, 3 June 2008 (IRIN) - The opening day of the world food summit turned out to be quite eventful, with the addresses by at least two heads of state striking dramatic positions.

The Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda warned that the global food crisis had the makings of a Greek tragedy: "Cassandra's warning [of the fall of Troy] was right - we are finally hearing the scream of the earth. The difference between Troy and us is that, for us, there is still time to remaining before we may perish," he said. Somehow the reference and tone seemed appropriate for Rome.

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said: "It is very clear, that hidden and unhidden hands are at work to control prices mendaciously to pursue their political and economic gains." These unnamed powers, he said, were keeping the price of oil and energy high as well.

He managed to find some support for his conspiracy theory. A senior African official wondered: "It is hard not to believe - why have the prices gone up? There is enough oil and there is enough food in the world - someone is controlling the commodities market."

With many voices, particularly from the developing world, calling for a global dialogue or a mechanism to control global prices, organisers hinted that it might now find its way onto the conference agenda.

Meanwhile, negotiations around the use of "bioneregy" - FAO's preferred term of reference for biofuel - are crawling, with difficulties around whether subsidies should be provided to grow grain for biofuel production, say insiders.

jk/oa

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