G8 pledges $60b for Africa, warns Iran, N Korea over N-programmes

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HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 9 (AFP): The Group of Eight (G8) industrial powers ended their annual summit yesterday by pledging 60 billion dollars to fight AIDS in Africa and warned Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programmes.
Summit host Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said G8 leaders had taken "far-reaching" decisions during the three days, which also saw an important climate accord, but activists led by rock singer Bono blasted the event.
South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki and China's President Hu Jintao were among leaders from emerging nations who were in the Baltic resort of Heiligendamm for talks that focused on aid for the developing world.
Merkel hailed the plan to give 60 billion dollars (44.8 billion euros) to Africa to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
The G8 also renewed a commitment made two years ago to increase other aid to Africa by 50 billion dollars a year by 2010.
"We are aware of our obligations and would like to fulfil promises," Merkel said.
US President George W Bush, who was sick and missed the morning session, unveiled the main thrust of the AIDS initiative in May. The 60 billion dollars includes 30 billion already earmarked by Washington.
U2 rock singer Bono, who has been in Heiligendamm to lobby the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States, accused the powers of using "bureau-babble" to hide their failed promises to Africa.
"They say 60 billion dollars for AIDS, TB and malaria and it sounds great, but that's not earmarked for Africa, it's a global figure and there's no timeline."
Bono said the money was more than a statistic. "These are hospitals without the electricity or clean water they've been promised, schools without roofs. Mothers without vaccinations for their children."
Anti-poverty group ActionAid condemned the failure to meet a pledge made at the 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to provide universal access to medication for all AIDS patients.
"This is devastating news for the 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS," the group said.
The G8 final declaration warned Iran and North Korea over their nuclear ambitions and Sudan over "atrocities" in the Darfur conflict.
The statement "deplored" Iran's failure to comply with UN Security Council demands that it end uranium enrichment. It said it would support "adopting further measures" unless the Islamic republic fulfilled its obligations.
The G8 leaders urged North Korea-which tested a nuclear weapon last year-to refrain from any new nuclear test or missile launch and to abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programmes "in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner."
On Darfur, it said "we are deeply concerned about the tragic security and humanitarian situation" and it condemned bombings carried out by Sudanese government forces in April and May, as well as attacks by rebels on African Union troops.
"Those violating the human rights of civilians in Darfur must be held responsible and we will support efforts to bring the perpetrators of atrocities to justice," the declaration said.
The summit failed to reach agreement however on Kosovo after French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a six-month halt to western-backed moves to give the ethnic Albanian dominated Serbian province near independence. Russia has joined Serbia in opposing the UN-organised split.
Meanwhile, the G8 nations called yesterday for a rapid resumption of the Doha round of world trade talks, which have been stalled for a year on the issue of agricultural subsidies.
It was a "subject of the greatest possible importance," in particular with a view to "safeguarding fair trading conditions for developing countries," G8 host, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, wrapping up three days of talks here.
In a joint declaration issued at the end of the summit, the world's richest nations said they "expect negotiators to make all necessary efforts ... to achieve a breakthrough in time."