Payback time for US on Iraq

Tony Blair must tell George Bush to repay British support over the war on terror by backing moves to end African poverty, campaigners have demanded.

The Prime Minister flies to Washington today for White House talks with the president of the United States tomorrow.

Picture: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

"Tony Blair has got to go there [the White House] and make George Bush sit up and notice public opinion here" - Sir Bob Geldof, Live 8 organiser

Story in full at The Scotsman Mon June 6, 2005

[Listen up buddy: contribute 0.7% GDP p.a. like the rest of us - AND ON TIME - or else we won't think much of America anymore]
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BLAIR'S CAMPAIGN FOR AFRICA

Prime Minister Blair will press President Bush for more funds at a meeting tomorrow.

Blair's plea, and Mr. Bush's resistance to it, highlight key gaps in their approaches. Blair's is fueled by a strong sense of moral obligation for rich nations to help poor ones - and a public more willing to spend government money on far-away problems. Bush aims to help generously on AIDS, but otherwise target aid where it won't be swallowed by corrupt or inept officials. It's one reason Washington gives foreign countries just 16 cents per $100 of gross domestic product, one of the rich world's lowest rates.

Read more by Abraham McLaughlin, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.
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COUNTDOWN TO JULY G8 MEETING IN GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND, UK

From the Financial Times June 6 2005:

Tony Blair flies to Washington today in a bid to prepare the ground for a successful Group of Eight summit at Gleneagles. He has a tough task ahead. With only a month to go and public pressure mounting, the summit is poised between triumph and disaster.

Mr Blair and Gordon Brown, the chancellor of the exchequer, have raised expectations with talk of a summit that will go down in history for tackling climate change and poverty in Africa. The promise of a Live 8 concert to put pressure on the G8 promises to raise public excitement still higher.

Read FT.com Editorial comment - The countdown to Gleneagles.
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BUSH OPPOSED TO INCREASING AID TO AFRICA

In his blog from Kampala, Uganda, Peter Quaranto links to an article from June 5 New York Times headlined: "Bush Maintains Opposition to Doubling Aid for Africa." Peter says he hopes to blog a response to President Bush later this week and adds:

"But for now I will just say that I see this is both an abdication of global moral responsibility and perpetuation of the deep injustice of contemporary U.S. policy towards the African sub-continent. This is not to say that aid is the answer to all the crises facing many African nations - far from it actually - but aid can go a long way in helping meet the basic needs of masses of human beings.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/02/politics/02prexy.html
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BRITAIN URGES GULF STATES TO HELP AFRICAN AID PLAN

Excerpt from Gulf Times report Mon 6 June, 2005:

LONDON: British Finance Minister Gordon Brown yesterday urged rich, oil-producing countries in the Gulf, which have profited from a recent spike in oil prices, to join a global push to lift Africa out of poverty.

Speaking ahead of a crucial week of negotiations for Prime Minister Tony Blair who is due to meet US President George W Bush in Washington tomorrow as part of a bid to drum up support for a plan to help Africa at a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Scotland next month, Brown pressed the need for urgent action.

"I would like to see the oil-producing states, the countries that have done well out of the rise in oil prices, being willing to make a contribution also to the new development agenda, and particularly to debt relief and to international aid," he told GMTV.

"I've been in touch with the countries concerned asking them to make their contribution too," he said.
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EU CRISIS MAY FORCE BLAIR TO STAY ON AS PM

British Prime Minister Tony Blair could stay in power for three more years to help steer the European Union out of the crisis over the EU draft constitution, ally Peter Mandelson said yesterday. Full Story sapa-AFP via Dispatch online 6 June 2005.
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BLAIR IN SECRET PLAN TO HOLD SECOND G8 SUMMIT ON AFRICA

Downing Street is drawing up secret plans to hold a second G8 meeting if the Gleneagles summit fails to deliver for Africa.

Sources close to No10 said Tony Blair is prepared to call an emergency "crisis meeting for Africa", probably in the autumn.

He would use the public goodwill towards tackling poverty following next month's Live8 concerts to bounce reluctant world leaders into returning to Britain for a second summit.

Usually leaders of the leading industrial nations meet once a year. Full Story by Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent Mirror EXCLUSIVE: WE'LL MEET AGAIN 6 June 2005.

Tags: Darfur Sudan Africa Commission Tony Blair Gordon Brown G8 Gleneagles Bob Geldof Make Poverty History Live 8 Iraq George W Bush Kyoto Gulf oil AIDS Christian Science Monitor New York Times Uganda Corruption Africa sustainable development environment European+Union