Defining moment for poor nations

IT would be a travesty if violent protests against the G8 summit were to deflect the eyes of the world from vitally important campaigns aimed at ridding Africa of poverty and combating global warming.

Considering the threat which militant demonstrators pose to the popular image of the campaign, Live 8 leader Bob Geldof was absolutely right to distance the organisation from the unacceptable behaviour of hard-core anarchists.

It was crucial to make it clear that confrontations between protesters and police had nothing to do with his Make Poverty History campaign which culminated last night with a Final Push concert at Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh.

Meanwhile, the police were right to allow yesterday’s march to go ahead at Auchterarder near Gleneagles, where leaders of the wealthiest nations in the world are discussing issues of major global concern.

After a night of trouble in Sterling, the decision to allow protesters march within 500m of the steel fence surrounding the summit venue was preferable than a threatened mass protest in Edinburgh.

Doubtless, the summit atmosphere could be cut with a knife following Britain’s stunning victory over France in the race for the 2012 Olympics. Following French President Jacques Chirac’s disparaging remarks about English cooking, it was a dramatic coup for Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Given that major issues can turn on seemingly unconnected events, let us hope the Singapore vote will not upset the talks on trade, aid and climate change.

In a significant twist, US President George W Bush has finally recognised that human activity contributes to climate change. However, his claim that the Kyoto accord did not work for the US or the rest of the world does not wash.

Maybe it would work if Mr Bush gave his blessing to measures aimed at reducing American emissions of greenhouse gases. His call for a “post-Kyoto” era where emissions would be cut by new technologies, would free America to continue polluting the atmosphere with disastrous implications for climate change.

On Africa, Britain insists the final summit document will commit the rich nations to help the troubled continent. That objective should not be compromised by the demand from Mr Bush that African leaders should end corruption in return for debt cuts.

For millions of people struggling to eke out an existence around the world, the G8 summit has the potential to be a defining moment in global politics.

In principle, world leaders have already agreed to 100% debt relief and a doubling of aid for many African countries. With the summit getting down to real business today, the hope is that those commitments will not only be copper-fastened but strengthened.

Ultimately, the success or failure of the G8 summit will hinge on the willingness of the richest countries to take more meaningful action to help the world’s poorest.

The poor would be sorely disappointed, however, if they looked to Ireland for additional aid. According to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, he would not be able to explain to the Irish people an increase in overseas aid from €600 million to €1.4 billion.

That’s rich coming as it does from a leader who wanted to splurge hundreds of millions on an abortive national stadium project. And who has yet to explain why the National Aquatic Centre, another of his pet projects, is leaking millions of euro and gallons of water.

The Taoiseach should explain to the Irish people why his pledge to increase overseas aid, delivered solemnly by him on the floor of the United Nations during its millennium session, has since been abandoned.