Rising food prices and their threat to political stability and development gains captured the attention of world economic leaders meeting here, with a call to arms launched by the World Bank. The issue steadily gained prominence during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings over the weekend that mainly were focused on the unfolding global financial turmoil and deteriorating economic growth prospects. The Group of Seven industrialised nations made only passing mention of the issue, disappointing those who felt the problem needs the political commitment and leadership of the rich countries to be resolved. The IMF meanwhile called for a united front to put the reeling world economy back on track, saying "policymakers should continue to respond to the challenge of dealing with the financial crisis.' For his part, World Bank president Robert Zoellick said millions of people could be at greater risk because of soaring food costs and urged governments to act now so that a bigger price would not have to be paid later. "We estimate that a doubling of food prices over the last three years could potentially push 100 million people in low-income countries deeper into poverty,' Zoellick said at the end of the World Bank spring meeting on Sunday. "This is not just a question about short-term needs, as important as those are. This is about ensuring that future generations don't pay a price too.' IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn warned: "As we know, learning from the past, those kind of questions sometimes end in war.' As the international meetings wrapped, US President George. W. Bush turned to the growing global food crisis and on Monday authorised the release of 200 million dollars in emergency food aid. "This additional food aid will address the impact of rising commodity prices on US emergency food aid programs, and be used to meet unanticipated food aid needs in Africa and elsewhere,' White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement. Even as the IMF and World Bank met over the weekend, there were more protests in developing countries against the soaring price of food, especially in Haiti where the prime minister was forced from office as a result. The G7