G8 leaders agree on $60bn African package

LEADERS of the Group of Eight yesterday agreed on a $60 billion package to fight AIDS, TB and malaria in Africa and warned Iran over its nuclear programme.

On the final day of the summit of the world’s richer nations, the G8 pledged to “adopt further measures” if Iran refuses to halt its uranium enrichment programme — a sign of support for UN Security Council moves to discuss a third set of sanctions. Uranium enrichment is a process that can produce fuel for civilian energy — or bomb material.

Meanwhile, G8 diplomats ran in to obstacles in discussions on the future of the Serbian province of Kosovo.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the meeting’s host, said there were still “different opinions” on a proposal to put off a UN Security Council vote on Kosovo’s independence for six months, and that diplomats would meet again next week.

Wary of delays, Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku said from his provincial capital, “We cannot wait forever. Give us clarity, give us freedom and let us go.”

The United States and the European Union back a UN resolution to give the predominantly ethnic Albanian province supervised independence. But Russia is backing ally Serbia in its resistance to ceding the province seen as its historic heartland.

G8 leaders held their final sessions at the Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm without US President George W Bush, who fell ill in the morning.

But Bush soon was feeling better and rejoined the summit after missing a session with African leaders and another with heads of state from developing nations China, India, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa.

In his absence, the other seven leaders met with the presidents of Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria to back the aid plan for Africa. About half of the $60bn was pledged earlier by the US, and other nations will contribute the rest, Germany’s development minister said.

“It was a very candid and open discussion,” Merkel said. “We said that on behalf of the countries of the G8, that we are aware of our obligations and we would like to fulfill the promises that we entered into and we are going to do that.”

The leaders also discussed a proposal, put forth by Sarkozy, on the independence-seeking Serbian province of Kosovo that would provide six-months for further talks between Belgrade and the Kosovo Albanians.

If they reach no agreement, the UN plan would then take effect, giving the predominantly ethnic Albanian province supervised independence.

Kosovo has been under UN supervision since a NATO-led air war in 1999 to halt a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.