WORLD / Europe
G8 leaders set to end summit with Africa pledge
(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-06-08 08:50
HEILIGENDAMM- Leaders of the world's major powers will turn their
attention to Africa on Friday and are widely expected to announce a US$60
billion pledge to fight AIDS and other killer diseases.
The heads of six African nations will press the needs of the poorest
continent when they join G8 leaders on the final day of their summit,
which produced an agreement on Thursday to pursue "substantial" cuts in
greenhouse gases to combat global warming.
"G8 leaders have just over 24 hours to restore faith in a promise that
represents life or death for millions of people across the world," said
Stop AIDS Campaign coordinator Steve Cockburn.
The G8 countries wrangled late into Thursday night about specifics on aid
for Africa but were expected to broadly recommit themselves to pledges
made at a 2005 summit in Scotland when they said they would double
development funding by 2010.
Two sources in the Group of Eight leading industrialised nations said
officials at the summit venue in the German Baltic resort of Heiligendamm
were close to agreeing on a $60 billion pledge to combat AIDS, malaria
and tuberculosis.
But campaigners for Africa said a $60 billion pledge would fall short of
UN targets.
Two leading campaigners, rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof, put pressure on
G8 summit host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and her fellow leaders
from the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and Russia.
"The chancellor has asked us to trust her and we are tempted, but we
cannot risk being let down by the G8 again," said Bono.
Officials were also tackling an impasse over Kosovo's future late on
Thursday, with France pushing a plan to delay a UN vote on the majority
ethnic Albanian province's independence in exchange for Russia agreeing
not to veto the outcome.
Russia backs Serbia's insistence it should retain sovereignty over the
province, which rebelled against Belgrade's rule in 1998-9. The West
regards independence as inevitable and fears delay will stoke violence in
the southern Serbian region.
IRAN
Officials were also discussing Iran and were likely to confirm plans to
back "further measures" -- in other words more UN sanctions -- against
Tehran if it continues to reject UN demands to halt uranium enrichment in
its nuclear programme.
The United States has accused Iran of having secret plans to build
nuclear weapons. Tehran says its nuclear programme is solely for power to
benefit its economy.
On Thursday, G8 leaders agreed to pursue substantial but unspecified cuts
in greenhouse gases and work with the United Nations to clinch a new deal
to fight global warming by 2009.
The agreement binds the world's largest polluter, the United States, more
closely into international efforts to curb the gases scientists say are
causing dangerous changes to world weather patterns.
But it does not commit the G8 nations to the firm emissions reduction
targets that Merkel had wanted.
U.S. President George W. Bush has refused to sign up to numerical targets
before rising economic powers like China and India make similar pledges.
Convincing them to join the UN process will be crucial to halting global
warming.
Russian President Vladimir Putin turned the tables on Bush by suggesting
the United States use a Russian-controlled radar instead of U.S.
anti-missile hardware in central Europe.
At a meeting with Bush, Putin proposed the United States and Russia
should jointly use a radar in Azerbaijan as part of an anti-missile
shield that would protect all of Europe.
In his comments to reporters, Bush did not directly mention the radar
plan which may have taken the White House by surprise.
"He made some interesting suggestions," said Bush.
Washington has said it wants to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland
and a radar in the Czech Republic as defence against projectiles launched
by what it calls "rogue" states like Iran.
Putin vowed last week to target Europe if Washington pressed ahead with
its central European missile shield plan. Washington has accused Russia
of being uncooperative but Putin's plan would seem to undermine that
criticism, analysts said.
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