Breakfast in Downing Street

22 May 2003
Bono joined Bob Geldof and other campaigners at a 'breakfast for Africa'with British Prime Minister Tony Blair this morning.

Campaigners told the British Prime Minister that international disagreementsover Iraq should take a backseat in favour of the battle against the AIDSepidemic in Africa, reported the BBC. Mr Blair, said Bono, could take acentral role in negotiating an agreement on tackling Aids at next month's G8summit in France.

He said: "The war against terrorism is bound up against the war on poverty.

"I did not say that, (US Secretary of State) Colin Powell said that, thatthe greatest weapon of mass destruction is the Aids virus and when amilitary man says something like that you know you have to start payingattention."

The meeting in Downing Street was also attended by UK InternationalDevelopment Secretary Baroness Amos and representatives of non-governmentalorganisations and academics.

Speaking afterwards, Bono said there was too much cynicism about howeffective G8 meetings - which bring together leaders of the UK, the UnitedStates, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Russia - could be. Hesaid the G8 nations had responded to the Drop the Debt campaign which hadled to improvements in living standards for many in Africa.

Geldof, who organised the world's biggest charity concert, Live Aid, in1985, and Bono have regularly lobbied world leaders over the problems facingthe developing world.

More on the campaign to fight poverty in Africa here www.datadata.org

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