Africa shapes message for G8, as Live 8 echoes fade

SIRTE, Libya – Exploiting the momentum of a star-studded global anti-poverty campaign, Africa’s leaders prepared yesterday to step up pressure on rich nations to help them fight hunger, disease and war on the continent.

Leaders of many of the 53 member nations of the African Union (AU) were expected to arrive for a summit in Libya to agree a message to send to the summit of the Group of Eight (G8) richest nations in Scotland later in the week. “Africa has got the will but does not have the means (to provide more resources to fight poverty),” Somali Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail said ahead of a half-yearly AU summit today and tomorrow in the Libyan town of Sirte.”And the G8 has got the means and all the logistical supportive means.It is very important that the political will should be combined with the resources that the G8 can afford to provide (help) to Africa.””There are three problems.Poverty, diseases and conflict prone situations.So the G8 has to take a package of measures covering all these three critical areas of African needs.”Rock stars around the world sang for Africa on Saturday to try to pressure the G8 leaders into action.The G8 summit on Wednesday and Thursday will be chaired by British Prime Minister Tony Blair who has put Africa at the top of the agenda.Anti-poverty campaigners say the G8 leaders have a unique chance to stop 30 000 children dying every day due to extreme poverty by doubling aid to poor countries, especially in Africa.African leaders are expected to call for unconditional cancellation of all debt to the poorest African countries and the dismantling of trade barriers which prevent them getting access to rich country markets, analysts say.The likely emphasis on trade rather than aid is consistent with the stated goals of the AU, a three-year-old continental initiative that plans to wean Africa off aid and push it into the globalised mainstream of international trade and investment.”There is an enormous focus in the West on Africa right now.Everyone is competing to show who loves Africa more,” said Nigerian analyst Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem.”Africans should send the G8 a unanimous message for action on debt and trade.Aid is the weakest link in the chain, because more aid does not make sense if the unfair rules of trade and illegitimate debt remain.”The continent’s wars will also be discussed and the leaders are expected to call for increased Western funding of AU peace missions, particularly a small force of less than 3 000 troops and monitors trying to stabilise Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.Foreign ministers holding a preparatory meeting on Saturday were trying to forge a consensus African position on the expansion of the UN Security Council.The AU’s 53 votes in the UN General Assembly are being wooed by several countries seeking permanent seats on the Council for themselves or their allies.- Nampa-Reuters”Africa has got the will but does not have the means (to provide more resources to fight poverty),” Somali Foreign Minister Abdullahi Sheekh Ismail said ahead of a half-yearly AU summit today and tomorrow in the Libyan town of Sirte.”And the G8 has got the means and all the logistical supportive means.It is very important that the political will should be combined with the resources that the G8 can afford to provide (help) to Africa.””There are three problems.Poverty, diseases and conflict prone situations.So the G8 has to take a package of measures covering all these three critical areas of African needs.”Rock stars around the world sang for Africa on Saturday to try to pressure the G8 leaders into action.The G8 summit on Wednesday and Thursday will be chaired by British Prime Minister Tony Blair who has put Africa at the top of the agenda.Anti-poverty campaigners say the G8 leaders have a unique chance to stop 30 000 children dying every day due to extreme poverty by doubling aid to poor countries, especially in Africa.African leaders are expected to call for unconditional cancellation of all debt to the poorest African countries and the dismantling of trade barriers which prevent them getting access to rich country markets, analysts say.The likely emphasis on trade rather than aid is consistent with the stated goals of the AU, a three-year-old continental initiative that plans to wean Africa off aid and push it into the globalised mainstream of international trade and investment.”There is an enormous focus in the West on Africa right now.Everyone is competing to show who loves Africa more,” said Nigerian analyst Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem.”Africans should send the G8 a unanimous message for action on debt and trade.Aid is the weakest link in the chain, because more aid does not make sense if the unfair rules of trade and illegitimate debt remain.”The continent’s wars will also be discussed and the leaders are expected to call for increased Western funding of AU peace missions, particularly a small force of less than 3 000 troops and monitors trying to stabilise Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.Foreign ministers holding a preparatory meeting on Saturday were trying to forge a consensus African position on the expansion of the UN Security Council.The AU’s 53 votes in the UN General Assembly are being wooed by several countries seeking permanent seats on the Council for themselves or their allies.- Nampa-Reuters