Failure to reach a deal on a multi-billion euro debt-relief and aid package for Africa would be a "grotesque failure", campaigner Bob Geldof claimed today.
On the eve of a meeting of finance ministers from the G8 group of the world’s wealthiest countries plus Russia, organiser of the Live 8 concerts urged the politicians follow through on the proposals of Tony Blair's Commission for Africa for a package of debt relief, aid and fairer trade.
Geldof said it would be "a grotesque national failure" if tomorrow's meeting and the upcoming G8summitat Gleneagles failed to deliver for Africa and he repeated his controversial call for hundreds of thousands of people to converge on Edinburgh for the gathering world leaders on July 6th-8th.
His comments were echoed by U2 singer Bono, who held talks with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels today; and supermodel Claudia Schiffer, who joined a demonstration in London to urge G8 finance ministers not to "turn a blind eye" to Africa.
The UK has put assistance for Africa and climate change at the top of its agenda during its presidency of the G8 this year. Mr Blair this evening invited international business people, including bosses from Shell, British Airways and Ford, to Number 10 Downing Street to discuss his plans.
Bud Ris, a senior fellow at the World Economic Forum, said the business leaders told Mr Blair that industry now accepts climate change is a serious problem and wants to see governments around the world getting together to develop a consistent response to it.
Multinationals need to see compatible global-warming regimes not only from the G8 nations - Britain, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia - but also from the emerging economic superpowers like China, India and Brazil, he said.
"They are ready to act and to develop technologies, but they need help from governments in setting a clear framework and a clear signal on where we should go on this issue," said Mr Ris.
Mr Blair also held brief talks with Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo on the G8 agenda.
Launching a paperback edition of the Commission for Africa report in London today, Geldof told Western leaders they should not withhold aid for the poor of the continent because of concerns about corruption.
"There are, of course, extremely corrupt governments in Africa, but there are very corrupt people in our part of the world - the difference is that we are rich," he said.
"Get off the corruption thing and force our governments to get there. There is a moral corruption to us signing our name on a document and never honouring it."
PA