Bono calls on Ahern to meet pledge

ROCK star Bono called on Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday to honour his personal commitment to give 0.7% of Ireland’s national wealth to developing countries when he attends the EU leaders’ meeting in Brussels this week.

Mr Ahern made this commitment to the UN General Assembly in September 2000 when he said Ireland would achieve this level of spending on Third World aid by 2007.

But the Government now insists Ireland will follow the EU timeframe for overseas aid, which is to provide developing countries with 0.7% of GDP by 2015.

Yesterday, following the cancellation of $40 billion (€33bn) in debt owed by world’s poorest countries, Bono said Ireland has fallen behind its aid target.

“I think he (Mr Ahern) should not go to Europe without a firm commitment that Ireland is going to get back in the lead and not be a lagger,” Bono told RTÉ.

The Taoiseach’s spokesman had not responded to Bono’s call at the time of going to press.

But Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Conor Lenihan, who has responsibility for overseas aid, defended the Government’s record.

He said Ireland will give e1.8bn in overseas aid over the next three years - the biggest increase in Third World spending in the State’s history.

Mr Lenihan said Ireland is committed to the EU timeframe on overseas aid to provide 0.5% of GDP by 2010 and 0.7% by 2015.

But the minister said he is currently in discussion with the Taoiseach, Finance Minister Brian Cowen and Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern to see if we can improve those targets.

“My personal preference is that we would deliver the 0.7% by 2012,” he added.

He welcomed Saturday’s cancellation of debt by the G8 leaders.

Fine Gael, however, accused Mr Lenihan of “hypocrisy” in his praise for the G8 countries when the Irish Government has breached its aid promises.

And Fine Gael’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Bernard Allen said the Taoiseach’s promise to the UN in 2000 was a “callous” way to get support for Ireland’s seat on the UN Security Council.