(05-22-2003) Rock stars call for action on Aids - The Guardian

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(05-22-2003) Rock stars call for action on Aids - The Guardian *

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Rock stars call for action on Aids
By Liane Katz



Rock stars and charity campaigners Bono and Bob Geldof today urged world leaders to overcome their disagreements over the war in Iraq and unite in the fight against the Aids epidemic. After breakfast talks on Africa with the prime minister at Downing Street, U2 lead singer Bono said the G8 summit at Evian next month was a chance for Tony Blair to negotiate an agreement on the Aids crisis.

He said: "The war against terrorism is bound up against the war on poverty.

blairafrica372.jpg

Tony Blair with Bob Geldof and Bono at Downing Street.

"I did not say that, [US secretary of state] Colin Powell said that, that the greatest weapon of mass destruction is the Aids virus and when a military man says something like that you know you have to start paying attention."

The singer urged world leaders at the G8 summit to come to a final agreement on the war against Aids and to "push a little away from their disagreement over the war in Iraq".

The National Aids Trust estimates that there are 42 million people living with HIV/Aids globally, with 5m new cases in 2002. Aids is the fourth biggest killer in Africa - with 29.4 million people living with HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa - and threatens to wipe out a generation of essential workers, reverse gains in life expectancy and decimate local economies.

The world bank estimates that the treatment of all AIDS cases in Africa would cost $10bn a year for drugs alone.

Mr Geldof, a long-term campaigner against poverty and hunger in Africa and a supporter of the Jubilee Debt Campaign, also raised the Zimbabwe crisis.

"My personal opinion on Zimbabwe is that Robert Mugabe is a murderous tyrant," Mr Geldof said.

"He's embarked on a campaign of state terror and famine in a bid to wipe out the opposition.

"I think it's up to the African leaders to come out and call the shots. Mugabe has to be called for what he is - a tyrant."

Bono and Geldof attended the one hour meeting with Mr Blair and the new international development secretary, Baroness Amos, along with representatives of non-governmental organisations and academics.

The meeting comes after criticism by the US president, George Bush, of Europe's policies on aid and the fight against Aids

However, Mr Bush, widened his gulf with European leaders by accusing them of hindering African development and US efforts to end hunger on the continent.

In a speech in Connecticut yesterday, Mr Bush challenged European leaders to "join us in moving beyond the broken development policies of the past and encourage the freedom and reform that lead to prosperity".

Mr Bush was most critical of European reluctance towards genetically modified crops, claiming that these were "impeding" US efforts to tackle long-term hunger in Africa.

"European governments should join, not hinder, the great cause of ending hunger in Africa," he said.

The G8 summit of the UK, the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Russia takes place in two weeks time in Evian and will mark Mr Bush's first visit to Europe since the Iraq war.

Last year, the leaders agreed on a new partnership for African development (Nepad), which sought to involve the continents' states more closely in solving their own problems.

Last week saw demonstrations by MPs at Westminster and Jubilee 2000 campaigners in Birmingham, urging the G8 to increase debt relief to developing countries when they meet in Evian.

At the G8 summit in Cologne four years ago, world leaders promised $100bn (?62bn) in debt relief for the most worst affected countries. Just over $36bn dollars (?22bn) has been delivered, according to Jubilee 2000.


Guardian Unlimited ? Guardian Newspapers Limited 2003
 
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