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Merkel tells Geldof G8 will bring relief to Africa
BERLIN, June 1 (AFP)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel promised to secure help for Africa at next week’s G8 summit in an interview with anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof in Germany’s top-selling newspaper on Friday.
“We will take steps in Heiligendamm that will help Africa overcome its problems,” Merkel said, referring to the Baltic Sea resort where she will host the summit from Wednesday.
“We will send a clear signal and strengthen the AIDS programme. But I want us to do more still, I want us to talk about development aid.”
Geldof played guest editor of Bild newspaper for the day, and ran a front-page picture of a starving African child under the headline “Stop this now!”.
In the run-up to the G8 summit, Geldof and fellow Irish rock star Bono have accused G8 leaders of falling far behind on pledges made in 2005 to double development aid to Africa by 2010 and urged them to address the issue when they meet in Heiligendamm.
Geldof told Merkel that Germany must increase its aid to the world’s poorest continent by 700 million euros (940 billion dollars) this year to put the country on track to meet the target it agreed at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland two years ago.
But Merkel refused to commit to giving this amount.
“I will only promise what I can deliver,” she said.
The chancellor said Germany would step up its overall development aid by 750 million euros in 2008 without saying how much of that would go to Africa.
Geldof published statements from prominent figures calling for leaders of the Group of Eight most industrialised nations to help tackle Africa’s problems.
Former South African president Nelson Mandela said: “Tell your politicians that they are being watched. They must keep the promises they made. Do not give up — we can be the generation who made poverty history.”
The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States will attend the G8 summit, but several African leaders have been invited to participate.