June 08, 2007
G-8 Africa Pledge: Everyone's A Critic
The Group of Eight nations today renewed a high-priority platform with a pledge of $60 billion in aid to combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases in Africa, but activists remained skeptical.
Rocker Bono, a self-appointed thorn-in-the-side of wealthy nations on the issue of global poverty, told Reuters he was "exasperated" at what he viewed as the G-8's failure to follow through on its promises. "I think it is deliberately the language of obfuscation," the U2 singer said, referring to the lack of timeline on the AIDS pledge. "It is deliberately misleading."
President Bush, who missed the morning meetings on Africa due to a stomach ailment, last week said he would double Washington's current AIDS in Africa contribution to $30 billion -- the lion's share of the G-8's $60 billion earmark. Congress will have to approve the dispensation.
The G-8 also plans to "recommit" to its 2005 Gleneagles promise to double development aid by $50 billion by 2010. NGOs and anti-poverty groups have long warned the sluggish pace of contributions are imperiling that goal, along with millions of lives.
Bono was joined by Live Aid creator Bob Geldof in pulling world leaders aside throughout the summit to solicit firmer language on aid goals. Both have openly expressed their frustration with the G-8 nations' pledges. Geldof today dismissed the session as "bollocks." And in an interview on CNN earlier this week, Bono took off his famous glasses to illustrate his disgust.
Give And Take From Russia
President Vladimir Putin's bluster in the run-up to the G-8 threatened to spoil the summit, most especially for the U.S. But a surprise offer to jointly use a radar base with Washington for a new missile defense shield will now be pored over by both parties. Leaders in Azerbaijan, the site of the radar base, have indicated they are open to the idea, to the relief of Europeans who were alarmed by Putin's threat to train its weapons on them.
That's one potential crisis averted for now. But on another sticky matter, Putin said Russia would veto any U.N. resolution that paved the way for Kosovo's independence, the Financial Times reports. Moscow has business interests with allies Serbia and Belgrade, and has steadfastly opposed the Balkan province's bid for sovereignty. The rest of the Security Council, however, backs a U.N.-led path to independence, fearing a break for independence could disrupt the calm in the once-violent region.
(White House photo by Eric Draper)
