U2 singer Bono and US Treasury Secretary Mr Paul O'Neill arrived in South Africa today on the second leg of an African tour to highlight the need for aid to the world's poorest continent.
Shortly after their arrival from Ghana at the Waterkloof Air Force base outside Pretoria, Bono and Mr O'Neill went into talks with South African President Mr Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings, the seat of government.
Bono, wearing a black safari jacket, a white T-shirt and violet-tinted wrap-around sunglasses, posed for photographers with Mr O'Neill, in a grey suit, and Mr Mbeki, in a dark one, before the meeting began behind closed doors.
Mr Mbeki declined to answer a question on his position on AIDS, and reporters were reminded that the event was strictly a photo-opportunity.
The remainder of their African tour will take Mr O'Neill and Bono from South Africa to Uganda and Ethiopia.
They will tour HIV/AIDS clinics, schools and development projects to help establish criteria for future US aid disbursements to Africa, while Mr O'Neill will explain President George W. Bush's new aid initiative.
His proposal is set to increase US development aid to $15 billion annually by 2006.
Bono has long been associated with humanitarian causes. In 1985 he took part in Live Aid, spearheaded by compatriot Bob Geldof, to raise money for victims of a famine in Ethiopia, and the next year, Bono's U2 group supported an Amnesty International tour. He is active in Jubilee 2000, an umbrella campaign for debt relief.
AFP