World leaders concluded an economic summit shaken by terrorism, offering an “alternative to the hatred” — aid packages for Africa and the Palestinian Authority and a pledge to address global climate change.
But reaction to the outcome was polarized: Rockers Bob Geldof and Bono, two of the world’s best known Africa fund-raisers, declared victory. But aid groups said the pledges didn’t go nearly far enough.
t is in the nature of politics that we do not achieve absolutely everything we hope to achieve, but nonetheless I believe we have made very substantial progress indeed,” Blair said.
With a last-minute pledge from Japan, Blair won a key victory, announcing that aid to Africa would rise from the current US$25 billion to US$50 billion by 2010.
Geldof praised the leaders for pledging to double aid to Africa, saying it will save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. “The world spoke and the politicians listened,” Bono added.
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