Bono praises Blair and Brown
U2 star Bono has given cautious welcome to the $50 billion aid deal brokered by the G8 leaders at the Gleneagles summit on Friday.
World leaders pledged to increase aid to developing countries to $50 billion by 2010, with half going to Africa. Alongside this, $40 billion in debt relief was earmarked for 18 of the poorest countries.
The Irish rock star lauded Tony Blair for his leadership in clinching the agreement and said the prime minister had played a “critical” role in bringing America on board and tying together “some essential last pieces to this puzzle”.
Although leaders had moved a long way on the deal to help tackle African poverty, Bono said it was nowhere near the monies needed in the long-term.
That said, the star said it was “a big, big deal” and one not to be underestimated.
Mr Blair said the aid deal was one to “lift the shadow of terrorism”.
Bono told Channel Four News that chancellor Gordon Brown had also played a pivotal role in hammering out the debt relief deal last month.
“You feel his fingerprints all over the place here. I know people talk about his and Tony Blair’s differences but today they came together. We have to give it up for them today, tomorrow we can kick their a**** or whatever,” he said.
Live 8 organiser Sir Bob Geldof said the summit was a “qualified triumph”, adding: “A great justice has been done. We are beginning to see the lives of the poor of Africa determined not by charity but by justice.”
Caroline Sande-Mukulira, head of ActionAid’s Southern Africa programme, said the summit had failed to deliver justice to Africa.
“The comprehensive tactics that Africa required to really decisively fight poverty on the continent has not been reached by any means at this summit,” she said.
