G-8 focuses on Africa as summit opens in Japan

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-7  |     ONLINE EDITION

Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda (R) shakes hands with U.S. President George W. Bush in a greeting ceremony hosted by Fukuda in the first official day of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, at Lake Toyoko, Hokkaido Prefecture, northern Japan, today. More in photo gallery

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AFRICA was in the spotlight today as leaders from the world's major economic powers gathered for an annual summit that will also grapple with climate change and the global food crisis.

The Group of Eight leaders -- representing the US, Japan, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Russia -- were to meet with seven African leaders to address key problems such as food supplies, infectious diseases and economic development.

Activists have accused some G-8 nations, particularly France, Canada and Italy, of skimping on aid to Africa, and urged them to ramp up their contributions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also has urged G-8 leaders to take a tough stance on Zimbabwe in the wake of President Robert Mugabe's widely denounced presidential election runoff victory.

US President George W. Bush, arriving Sunday for his eighth and final Group of Eight summit, emphasized the urgency of providing aid for Africa, calling on wealthy nations to provide mosquito nets and other aid to prevent children from "needlessly dying from mosquito bites."

"I'm concerned about people going hungry. We'll be very constructive in the dialogue about the environment -- I care about the environment -- but today there's too much suffering in the continent of Africa," Bush said during a press conference after a one-on-one meeting Sunday with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, host of the gathering.

"Now is the time for the comfortable nations to step up and do something about it," Bush said.

Aid to Africa was the centerpiece of the G-8 summit three years ago in Gleneagles, Scotland, where leaders called for increasing aid to US$50 billion a year through 2010 -- with half of that going to Africa itself -- and to cancel the debt of the most heavily indebted poor nations.

Advocacy groups for Africa and hunger gave the G-8 a mixed report card on progress in reaching its commitments to Africa.