Stars get chance to lobby leaders

Rock stars Bob Geldof and Bono say they are optimistic their last-minute lobbying of G8 leaders will produce significant new initiatives on two fronts.

The two men flew to Gleneagles by helicopter just before the final Live 8 concert at Murrayfield's stadium. They were part of a delegation to meet the summit's chairman, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, along with Mike Aaronson of the Make Poverty History coalition and African Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai.

They also had a private 40-minute session with United States President George W. Bush, and a shorter meeting with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder - the leaders of the two nations thought most likely to obstruct a good deal for Africa.

Bush told the pair he had watched the Live 8 broadcasts. Geldof said, "The most moving moment [Bush] said, was when Birhan [an Ethiopian girl] came out. It clearly reminded him that when politicians negotiate in the rarefied atmosphere of a place like Gleneagles there are individuals like her who live or die by their decisions."

Bono pressed the President to boost the increases in aid to Africa that Washington pledged in the run-up to Live 8 - but which was short of what was needed to raise the additional US$25 billion ($37.2 billion) a year recommended by the commission for Africa.

"I told him it would be a great American initiative to get every African child in school," Bono said afterwards. "No African country that had a credible plan to do that should be denied the aid needed."

Geldof said he was surprised by President Bush's level of engagement with Africa. "His two daughters have been working there and his wife, Laura - who was at the meeting - is about to tour Africa," Geldof said.

On trade, the pair also secured from Bush a commitment to fix a date to end subsidies on agricultural exports by rich countries, which make it impossible for many African farmers to make make a living. Bush said he would be happy to agree on a date to be included in today's closing communique, if European leaders did the same.

Schroeder told the pair he would stick to his commitment to increase aid to 0.56 per cent of Germany's national income by 2010.

- Independent