U2 France

U2 singer Bono has led a trio of rock star activists who pressed US President George W Bush and other leaders at the G8 summit to do more for Africa, amid accusations rich nations are failing to meet aid promises.

Bono had words of praise for the US leader after the meeting yesterday but said that in general getting money out of the wealthy Group of Eight countries was like "getting blood out of a stone," a spokesman for his lobbying organisation said.

Other activist groups and diplomats also said some G8 industrialised powers did not want to increase aid to Africa.

"Hanging out with good company, aren’t I?" said Bush after his meeting with the U2 singer, who was accompanied by British rock star activist Bob Geldof and Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour.

The stars also met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, said the DATA (Debt/AIDS/Trade/Africa) group which Bono co-founded to lobby against poverty and AIDS in Africa.

Bush has promised tens of billions of dollars of US money to the battle against AIDS and Bono said: "People need to know this side of America: the side that’s leading the world on AIDS."

The US president last week urged Congress to set aside $US30 billion ($A35.7 billion) over five years to fight AIDS worldwide.

"I find myself not having to harangue the president," said Bono in a statement after the encounter.

"But I still did on education and HIV/AIDS. We also discussed the strategic importance of this stuff for America in the next presidential race."

Bono, Geldof and N’Dour are lobbying at the Heiligendamm summit to follow up on promises made to alleviate African debt at the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

The eight countries then committed to increase aid by $US50 billion ($A59.5 billion) a year by 2010. Half of that development aid would go to Africa.

A DATA spokeswoman Kathy McKiernan said the US action was in line with the commitment made but that others, naming Canada andItaly, were "way behind on what they need to do".

Another DATA spokesman Oliver Buston said the discussions with most of the leaders had been "quite strong" but that talks with G8 host Merkel, in particular, had been "frustrating".

"There seem to be many people blocking progress," Buston said.

Youssou N’Dour was also critical of Germany, even though Berlin has made aid to Africa one of the top priorities of its G8 presidency. Germany will give 4 billion euros ($A6.43 billion) over the next eight years to the global fight against AIDS, its development minister said in an interview to be published today.

But N’Dour said in an interview with AFP: "This summit won’t work if Germany doesn’t set an example."

He also praised Bush and said that talks with Italy’s Prodi had been "very interesting".

"I’m optimistic that we can go a lot further with Italy," he said.

"The US has made a lot of effort," he said.

But N’Dour pointed the finger at Canada as a potential threat to a G8 deal on aid.

"Following our meetings, Italy and Japan aren’t going to block (a deal). We have to wait and see what Canada will do. We’re worried about Canada. It would be terrible if they blocked a G8 agreement," N’Dour said.

And he added: "What I’d like to stress to them all, is that it’s not aid, but investment. It’s about balance."

A senior official with one of the G8 delegations said that some of the industrialised powers were suffering from "donor fatigue".

"Some G8 members are tired of the aid promises made to Africa and do not want to support them," said the official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity. The official said at least "one or two countries" were involved but did not name them.

Aid groups have called on the Heiligendamm summit participants to keep their promises to increase financing for the fight against AIDS and tuberculosis which killed about 4.9 million people a year around the world.

A number of organisations and institutions, including the World Bank, have accused G8 countries - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - of failing to keep promises made in Gleneagles in 2005.

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI also called on the G8 countries to stick to their promises.

© Brisbane Times, 2007.