Rock stars in last-ditch Africa plea to G8 leaders
07 Jun 2007 16:12:23 GMT Source: Reuters
(Adds new quotes, details) By Madeline Chambers HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 7 (Reuters) - Rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof launched a last-ditch effort on Thursday to force Group of Eight leaders to honour aid pledges they made to Africa two years ago. The two, long involved in the campaign to help the world's poorest continent, have held private meetings with world leaders gathered in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm to discuss issues including climate change and development. Officials are arguing up to the last minute about how specifically to recommit to pledges made at the 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, when leaders said they would double development aid by 2010. "This is about our value system. This is about whether it's okay to break a promise," U2 singer Bono told a news conference in the port of Rostock where about 70,000 people gathered for a concert at which he, Geldof and African singers were performing. At Gleneagles, leaders vowed to raise annual aid levels by $50 billion by 2010, $25 billion of which was for Africa. Aid agency Oxfam says G8 nations risk missing that pledge by $30 billion, which they say would cost at least five million lives. Earlier, Bono said talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting the summit, were tough. "The Chancellor has asked us to trust her - and we are tempted, but we cannot risk being let down by the G8 again." After some resistance from Italy, Canada and Japan, campaigners now believe the G8 declaration will include the same language agreed at Gleneagles on the headline figures. "We are running to stand still here," said Oxfam policy adviser Max Lawson. Officials are also arguing over whether commitments for individual countries and for areas like AIDS treatment and education will be spelled out separately. Canada and Italy have been blocking the inclusion of specific language or numbers, say officials and activists, although Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi signalled to Bono and Geldof late on Wednesday that he would drop his opposition. Leaders will talk tough about combating AIDS but may back away from 2005 targets to fund universal access to treatment and instead vow to treat five million people with AIDS. Officials are also arguing over a funding gap in the Global Fund to fight Aids, TB and Malaria and over whether to agree on a funding target of $6-$8 billion a year by 2010. Prodi has pledged to pay its Global Fund arrears and $200 million per year for the next two years, said a Fund spokesman. The United States last week announced plans to double its financial commitment to fight AIDS to $30 billion over five years and Germany is expected to announce $1 billion in new funding for AIDS at some point in coming months.
