News: Political News Archives

April 09, 2008

U2 rocker Bono hopes for 'peaceful' torch relay

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Irish rock star Bono said here Tuesday he hoped the San Francisco leg of the Olympic torch relay would be trouble-free as he attended a pro-Tibet rally.

The U2 frontman told AFP on the sidelines of the event at United Nations Plaza that he hoped the furore surrounding the torch on its global relay would force China to address global concern over its actions in Tibet.

"I would like a peaceful outcome, for the torch tomorrow and in Tibet," Bono told an AFP reporter, comparing the debate over China's actions in Tibet to the issue of torture in the US government's "war on terror."

"I hope China takes this opportunity to address the issues," Bono said. "It's like waterboarding in the US; it's important to address the issues."

Around 800 people attended the peaceful rally in downtown San Francisco where a "Freedom Torch" was lit before activists flanked by around 20 police on each side began a march to the Chinese consulate.

San Francisco is preparing a heavy security presence in the city for the US leg of the troubled torch relay, which was severely disrupted by protesters in Paris on Monday.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:22 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2008

"You Only Care About Africa"

HOME TRUTHS: Stuart Townsend blasts Bono over star's failure to back Save Tara campaign

Relations between two of Ireland's most famous men are set to turn frosty after actor Stuart Townsend lashed out at U2 frontman Bono.

The Irish actor slammed the world-famous singer for failing to step up and help in the fight to save the Hill of Tara.

And to add insult to injury he went on to claim that the humanitarian was more interested in helping those overseas that in getting involved in campaigns in his native Ireland.

"I don't know why Bono hasn't gotten involved so far. Maybe it's because his focus is on Africa and heritage isn't his thing," the actor claimed.

Townsend made the remarks while enjoying a romantic weekend in Paris with his partner Charlize Theron.

The actor himself has long been involved in the campaign to save the ancient spot and halt construction of the controversial motorway.

Fight

And he went on to call on Bono to end his silence on the issue and join the fight.

"Things are really getting desperate now so we really need Bono to say something.

"He's Bono for God's sake, he's Irish and he lives in Ireland.

We really need someone of that magnitude to help," he added. Townsend said that the campaign was getting the backing of poet Seamus Heaney. The poet and Nobel laureate criticised the Taoiseach and the M3 project saying: "Bertie thinks his legacy is the Celtic Tiger and economic -- but his real legacy will be letting them put a motorway through Tara."

Last year Townsend and Theron visited the site and organised photo opportunities and interviews.

The actor revealed that it was causes like Tara that kept the couple so much in love.

"I suppose part of what attracts Charlize to me is that I'm a space cadet who likes going to places like Tara. She digs it," he said.

Townsend went on to praise student radical Lisa "Squeak" Feeney, describing the campaigner as a "hero" after she encased herself into a seven-metre underground pit for three days in a bid to halt further work near the ancient site.

"It's a sad reflection on the Irish Government that a young woman has to put her life on the line to protect what our Government should be protecting.

"I think people should join her and the other protestors and get involved...none of us have done enough to save Tara," he added.

Posted by Jonathan at 01:31 AM | Comments (1)

January 27, 2008

Bono gives iPod to Japanese PM for aid

DAVOS, Switzerland - Rock star Bono bowed deeply and gave Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda an iPod at the start of a meeting Saturday to try to get more Japanese support for the fight against poverty in Africa.

The gift broke the ice as Fukuda sat down with Bono, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other major supporters of more aid for Africa.

Fukuda asked the U2 frontman if his music was on the red recording device.

"No, but you can download it," said Bono.

"My son has some of your music," Fukuda told him.

After the private meeting, Fukuda told government and business leaders at the World Economic Forum that African development would be one of the three major themes of the G-8 meeting he is hosting in Japan this July.

Part of the proceeds from sales of the special-edition red iPod go directly to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Africa.

Earlier this week, Bill Gates said the Red-branded products have generated $50 million for the fund in the last year and a half.

Posted by Jonathan at 06:51 PM | Comments (0)

January 09, 2008

Bono urges Sarkozy to keep aid pledges

Rock star Bono pressed French leader Nicolas Sarkozy to live up to pledges to increase development aid during a "feisty" meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, the aid advocacy group DATA said.

The organisation, co-founded by Bono, front man of the U2 rock group, has chastised France for lagging in fulfilling in a promise to raise development assistance to 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2012. In 2006, French aid stood at 0.31 percent of gross national income, DATA said.

"The president admitted it would be very, very hard, but France would keep her word," the statement quoted Bono as saying following the meeting, which he described as "feisty" and "factual."

"The president knows the details and moves fast," Bono said, adding Sarkozy pledged to restore 20 million euros ($A33.58 million) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The French leader also "said he would send through a plan to restore promised French aid trajectories in the next few weeks," Bono was quoted as saying.

DATA's statement cites an October parliamentary report showing France's estimated overseas development assistance would be 0.35 per cent of gross national income in 2007 and would remain at 0.35 per cent in 2008.

Bono and Sarkozy met last year at a G-8 summit in Germany. There, the French leader reiterated his commitment to increasing development aid, particularly to Africa.

However, DATA has repeatedly blasted France for "making little real effort" to meet its medium-term aid goals.

Oliver Buston, the organisation's European director, said in a statement that "France is not on track for respecting its promises on aid to development in Africa."

"We hope that under President Sarkozy's energetic leadership, things will get better and not worse," the statement said.

Posted by Jonathan at 05:08 AM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2007

Bono denies ordering silence for poverty

By Beth Hilton, Digital Spy

Bono has denied reports circulating on the internet that he ordered a crowd of 30,000 people to be silent to draw attention to the issue of poverty in Africa.

The singer was alleged to have silenced the audience at a gig in Glasgow and begun clapping slowly, saying: "Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies."

A member of the crowd was then rumoured to have shouted: "Well, stop doing it then!"

The reports have appeared in newspapers around the world over the last two years, but are believed by some to have originated with an advert for the 2005 Make Poverty History campaign. The commercial featured a number of stars clicking their fingers to represent dying children.

However, Bono's representative said he had no idea how the claims had started, telling the New York Daily News: "He's never even done the clapping thing."

Posted by Jonathan at 05:23 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2007

Bono's U,S.-based anti-poverty groups to merge

Anti-poverty groups the ONE Campaign and DATA, both co-founded by rock star Bono, will merge in the United States to form a single organization in tackling poverty, especially in Africa, officials said on Monday.

The new organization will be known as ONE in the United States and will include the ONE Campaigns's 2.4 million members, a U.S.-based project launched in 2004 to build citizen support to fight desease and extreme poverty.

Outside the United States, DATA--or Debt, AIDS, Trade Africa--will retain its name and focus on debt cancellation, AIDS treatment and more effective development assistance.

"ONE and DATA are two organizations with the same outrage: extreme, stupid poverty in the 21st centruy makes no sense when the resources and technology exist to do something about it," Bono said in a statementl.

"What makes sense is to harness these two forces into a single organization and redouble our efforts. One Goal. One team," he added.

The new organization will be led by president and chief executive David Lane, an executive with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundationl.

"By combining DATA and the ONE Campaign we will create an organization which is stronger than the sum of its parts and better positioned to put the issues related to global poverty, and voter support for those issues, front and center onto the agendas of the wealthiest nations, " said Tom Freston, who will chair the new group's board.

The new organization will be headquartered in Washington, with offices in London, Los LAngeles, Abuja and Berlin.

Posted by Brenda at 11:47 AM | Comments (0)

July 13, 2007

Top Byrd Adviser Leaving Hill, Joining ONE

Paul Kane, Washington Post

Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W. Va.) has lost one of his most trusted advisers in Tom Gavin, the communications director for the Appropriations Committee. Gavin is leaving Byrd's staff to join the ONE Campaign, the non-profit group co-founded by U2 singer Bono designed to lobby Washington about fighting third world poverty and HIV/Aids.

A veteran of Capitol Hill for a dozen years, Gavin has been the top flack for Democrats on the Appropriations Committee since 2000, explaining the intricacies of up to $1 trillion in discretionary spending under the panel's authority to uniformed hacks such as Capitol Briefing.

While relatively new to the lobbying scene, ONE Campaign has begun putting together a powerful team of insiders. Gavin's hiring comes six months after the non-profit lured away Susan McCue, the chief of staff to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), to run its shop.

"ONE is going to raise the nation's awareness to these crises, and band millions of people together to fight extreme poverty," McCue said today of Gavin's hiring. "This new communications team will help to take ONE's message to people from coast to coast, and help to achieve a great victory for our world."

Bono's win is Byrd's loss, however. Intensely loyal to Byrd, Gavin has lately had to beat back questions and rumors about Byrd's health as the senator approaches his 90th birthday and has had a tremor common among elderly grow more pronounced in recent years. In May, Terry Sauvain, Byrd's longtime top aide, resigned from one of the most powerful staff positions in Washington, stepping down as staff director for Appropriations after 40 years in public service. Sauvain remains a part-time employee for the senator this summer as some of the last spending bills are being approved by the committee this month.

Neither of these moves should be construed as a sign of Byrd retiring from the Senate or turning over the committee gavel to a more junior colleague. As Capitol Briefing reported at the end of last month, Byrd -- the longest serving senator in history, who just won his 9th full term -- gave a floor speech vowing to fully serve as a senator till "this old body just gives out and drops."

No word on who's replacing Gavin as Byrd's top spokesman. At ONE, he'll be joining a bipartisan team of communicators. In addition to Gavin's hiring, McCue announced several additional new staff: Kimberly Cadena, formerly from the staff of Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.); Sarah Crouthers, formerly of the staff of Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.); Chandler Smith, formerly a press assistant for the U.S. Supreme Court; and Stephen Wilson, a deputy press secretary for Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) with a specialty in new media.

Posted by Brenda at 04:19 PM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2007

German chancellor assures Bono Africa is on G-8 agenda

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country chairs the G-8 conference, assured Bono that Africa will play "an outstanding role" during this year's meeting.

BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told U2's Bono on Tuesday that the future of Africa will play a major role when Group of Eight leaders meet in June, the government said.
Bono met Merkel at the chancellery to press his call for the continent to remain high on the agenda of the world's leading industrial countries. Germany, which chairs the G-8, will host their annual summit in the Baltic sea resort of Heiligendamm.

Merkel pledged that Africa will play "an outstanding role," with a focus on issues such as improving the climate for investment, a government spokeswoman said on customary condition of anonymity.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair made debt relief for Africa a key issue when he hosted the G-8 summit in 2005, and has called for a redoubling of momentum this year.

Bono has echoed that call, saying at January's annual meeting of the World Economic Forum: "Africa is this magical, extraordinary continent and we've got to start describing it more as an opportunity than a burden."

The 46-year-old Irish rocker is co-founder of the organization DATA, or Debt, AIDS and Trade in Africa, which seeks to raise awareness for Africa.

Posted by Brenda at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2006

Bono Slams Dems' $1B AIDS Dodge

By Ian Bishop

WASHINGTON - Even with Democrats poised to control the government's purse strings next year, U2's Bono still hasn't found what he's looking for when it comes to U.S. funds to combat AIDS.

The disappointed U2 frontman stormed away from high-level meetings with incoming Democratic leaders late last week without assurances that $1 billion in proposed U.S. support would become a reality next year.

"I'm alarmed we could not get a commitment from the Democratic leadership to prevent the loss of $1 billion in the continuing resolution to fight AIDS, malaria and extreme poverty," the rock star said in a statement.

President Bush had proposed that amount in the past.

"I don't know who's to blame. Democrats are blaming Republicans, Republicans are blaming Democrats," Bono added.

Congressional leaders are expected to freeze the budgets of federal agencies, making it unlikely additional funds will be provided.

Posted by Brenda at 01:25 PM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2006

Bono meets with Peter Costello

By Michael Harvey, Gerard, McManus and Mark Dunn

TOURING rock star and political activist Bono believes Australia will match other developed nations in lifting aid to poor nations.

The U2 frontman took his anti-poverty campaign direct to federal Treasurer Peter Costello yesterday -- securing the one-on-one meeting Prime Minister John Howard would not give.

While Bono wanted total aid spending lifted, Mr Costello stressed the importance of "aid effectiveness" -- making sure aid dollars were spent on those who needed them and not soaked up by corrupt local officials.

Both men emerged from the hour-long talks liking what they heard.

"He is a very genuine guy, he is a very charming man," Mr Costello said. "He is very sincere and it was just a very warm, positive discussion."

Bono said he enjoyed the meeting and that Australia would eventually reach the goal of committing 0.7 per cent of GDP to aid.

"This wave is breaking and it's going to happen. Australia will get to 0.7," Bono said.

"(Mr Costello) seemed to be personally very interested in the plight of the world's poor and determined to figure a way for his country to play a more committed role."

Mr Costello made no new pledge on the aid front but restated his commitment to lift aid to $4 billion a year.

The meeting came as police intensified efforts to track down key troublemakers from Saturday's violent G20 protest. And political pressure mounted over the Howard Government approving visa applications to up to a dozen foreign protesters with track records of major disruption.

Visa applications were rubber-stamped by Immigration Department officials despite warnings to the Government from security agencies that individual foreign protesters posed a threat.

Opposition immigration spokesman Tony Burke said the security lapse showed the Government played favourites when it came to border security.

"These reports show that for Amanda Vanstone the alert rings no alarms," he said.

"Every injured police officer must be asking why border protection was abandoned."

Police believe foreign protesters were among the ring leaders of the weekend's ugly demonstrations, which saw a score of police injured, extensive destruction to city property and a dent put in Melbourne's reputation.

Australian Federal Police and other agencies, who had spent months working on potential terrorists' threats to the summit, compiled dossiers on some of the agitators, according to government sources.

The agencies also used foreign contacts to track the protesters' movements, passing on information to the Government.

But Senator Vanstone said law enforcement and security agencies had placed no alerts on individuals in relation to the G20.

"I am advised that my department is unaware of any such requests in relation to the G20," the minister said.

Security analyst and chief executive at Intelligent Risks, Neil Fergus, said national and international anarchists were identified as being behind most of the trouble.

"Several out of 12 to 15 key organisers were from overseas, part of an international, committed group of anarchists," Mr Fergus said.

Police will investigate radical Left-wing internet chat rooms to track down members of the violent Arterial Bloc protest group. Police are also investigating tip-offs about key trouble makers given to Crime Stoppers from members of the public who identified individuals in newspaper photographs.

One site carried exchanges between members of the group planning their raid in Melbourne, organising their white-hooded disguises and expressing concern about arrests. But members of other protest groups refused to condemn the violence against police.

"They (Arterial Bloc) were part of the broader demonstration on Saturday and were responding to a larger violence," International Socialist Organisation spokesman Jonathon Collerson said.

Posted by Jonathan at 07:53 AM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2006

Bono Politics 101

by Brenda Clemons, U2 Station staff writer

U2 have never been fearful of expressing their political views. Whether it is the political landscape of the Ireland they grew up in or Amnesty Internationals Conspiracy of Hope Tour; U2 have always been in the forefront of activism. Bono especially has been vocal--even going as far as using U2 concerts as a pulpit from which to preach his gospel. If you went to a concert or listen to the news, you have surely heard Bono speak of AIDS, The Millennium Challenge, and odious debt. But, what does it all mean? A person almost has to take a course in political science just to follow along with the dialogue. Here, I will try to simplify things in layman terms.

Odious debt and the Drop the Debt campaign: In 1999 Bono joined a social justice group known as Jubilee 2000. The idea was to have the debts of the worlds poorest countries forgiven by the year 2000. The worlds poorest countries are known as HIPC, or Highly Indebted Poor Countries. The name of Jubilee was taken from a Bible verse in which God commands that every 7 years would be a year of Jubilee (when monetary debts would be forgiven); thus giving everyone a new start. This gained the attention of religious leaders worldwide. Even the Pope joined the bandwagon proclaiming the year 2000 as a year of Jubilee.

During the cold war, rich nations loaned tons of money to struggling countries. These loans were usually given for political reasons and not out of a desire to help. The rich countries gave these loans not caring if the leaders were corrupt or if the loans were not used for the intended purpose. After the cold war, the rich countries pulled out (and most of the corrupt leaders); leaving the poor countries with no way to pay back the debts. Since the loaner country knew first hand that the countries they were loaning to had corrupt leaders and could not repay; those loans are considered by some to be illegitimate (or odious).

The IMF and The World Bank: The IMF and the World Bank are exactly what their name implies. Think of a big bank and it’s lending arm. The world’s richest (nations) have accounts with these financial institutions. The IMF and the World Bank set up regulations concerning HIPC countries. These regulations include high interest rates and unreasonable repayment schedules. When HIPCs fall behind on their payments, they must enter a restructuring agreement. Restructuring of HIPC economies include user fees for schools, water and sewage; as well as unfair trade agreements. The plan has backfired resulting in low school attendance, unsafe drinking water, and deforestation.

The G8. The G8 stands for “Great 8” a name that the 8 most powerful nations use to describe themselves (no big egos there). Annually they get together in a summit to discuss the world’s problems and what they think can be done to fix them.

The Millennium Challenge: A United Nations initiative to eradicate TB and malaria by the year 2015. So far, the Millennium Challenge is behind schedule (partly due to the fact that the US has not contributed it’s share).

DATA--Debt Trade AIDS Africa: Bono decided that special attention should be given to the continent of Africa. DATA lobbies for full funding for the Millennium Challenge and the forgiveness of odious debts. They also want more money for AIDS prevention, education and medication. Trade is given just as much emphasis. If Africa could trade on an equal playing field, they could earn 3 timess as much as they receive in aide.

The One Campaign: Its mission is to educate the public and gather support for DATA’s agenda. Its main arsenal is the One petition. If politicians think that enough voters care about something, they are more likely to take action for fear that they might not be reelected.

Why it matters. First, there’s the moral issue. Currently 30,000 children die every day from starvation and preventable diseases. In Africa, AIDS is creating a nation of orphans bringing up themselves without any adult supervision. Second, a safer world to live in: Poverty and devastation create breathing grounds for terrorists such as Bin Laden. Third, a better environment: The Rain Forest contains many endangered species of animals and plants (including some plants with medicinal qualities). Deforestation contributes to the green house effect.

What you can do: Stay informed by listening and reading as much as possible. You don’t have to agree with Bono’s politics, but at least have an educated opinion. Sign the One petition at www.one.org. Join a Jubilee working group www.jubileeusa.org. Visit the United Nations website www.un.org

Posted by Brenda at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)

May 05, 2006

Bono hopeful about 'breakthrough' in Sudanese peace

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Rock star and activist Bono expressed hope Thursday that a peace agreement could be coming for the Sudanese region of Darfur.

"We just got news on this very day that there's a potential breakthrough," Bono said during a speech to the Economic Club of Grand Rapids. "I ask you to pray for their success."

Decades of tribal clashes over land and water in Darfur erupted into large-scale violence in early 2003, with rebels demanding regional autonomy. The central government is accused of responding by unleashing militias upon civilians, a charge that Sudan denies.

At least 180,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million have been forced to flee their homes in what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Sudanese rebels cautiously welcomed U.S.-backed proposals to salvage a peace agreement for Darfur on Thursday. The international community urged them to finally accept the deal.

About 2,000 people attended the sold-out annual dinner, which was open only to club members and their guests. Tickets cost $150 each. Past speakers include former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:23 PM | Comments (0)

November 25, 2005

Bono says Martin mystifies him, urges PM to give more to Third World

by Stephen Thorne, Canadian Press

OTTAWA (CP) - Irish rock star Bono says Prime Minister Paul Martin's inability to further increase foreign aid mystifies him, especially facing an election in a country that clearly favours more foreign aid.

"I'm mystified, actually, by the man," the U2 lead singer told a news conference Friday. "I like him very much, personally.

"I just think that it's a huge opportunity that he's missing out on. This is important to the Canadian people. I think the prime minister will find out if he walks away from the opportunity to (boost foreign aid) he will hear about it in the election. I am absolutely sure of that."

Bono said he was heartened by polls suggesting most Canadians support a boost to foreign aid. He wants Canada to increase foreign contributions to 0.7 per cent of its gross domestic product.

That would more than triple the $3 billion Canada currently spends on foreign aid each year.

He has also called on Canada to erase foreign debt and advocate fair trade in a world where a billion people live on less than a dollar a day.

Martin said he'd spoken with Bono on the phone for about 15 minutes on Friday morning.

"His role is to push me forward," Martin said at a first ministers' conference in Kelowna, B.C., before reiterating his oft-stated belief that Canada can't commit to the 0.7 per cent target without a firm plan for reaching that goal.

Speaking in support of the Make Poverty History project, Bono said Canada could easily increase Third World aid because it's the only major industrialized country in a surplus position.

"I would beseech the Canadian people, as their politicians meet them on their doorsteps, just . . . say this is the kind of Canada that your kids want to grow up in, this is the kind of Canada the world needs now."

Bono is in Ottawa for a U2 concert but spent the day meeting with party leaders, saying he wants to appeal to the better nature of people in what he calls a better country.

He said Canada's humanitarian tradition and moral convictions are the reasons he's a "fan" of Canada and why he comes here with his band to play.

"The Canadian people are ahead of the prime minister on these global poverty issues," he said. "There is something about Canada that sets it apart.

"This is it. It's this kind of leadership, this sense of decency and a kind of awakeness to what's going on in the wider world - that's what sets Canada apart."

Bono and Martin have been friends for some time - he spoke to the Liberal party convention two years ago - and has long campaigned for Canada to give 0.7 per cent of its GDP to world relief.

He said he's "crushed" by Martin's refusal to meet the target. He said he thought that Martin, as a former finance minister, would "make the numbers work" in a surplus economy.

"I just want to appeal to the better nature of what I always thought of as a better country," he said.

A Conservative MP later suggested the party would increase foreign aid to the 0.7 per cent target.

International co-operation critic Helena Guergis said Canada's foreign aid contributions are roughly half of what they were under the previous Conservative government.

"Bono's efforts towards ending global poverty are both noble and heroic (and) a Conservative government would ensure that such calls are no longer ignored," said Guergis.

International Trade Minister Jim Peterson met Bono briefly seeking his support for the Doha development round and talks taking place later this December in Hong Kong aimed at opening world markets to less-developed countries.

Peterson handed Bono a letter pointing out the benefits of free trade for developing countries. He asked the singer-activist to go to Hong Kong.

He stressed the talks are a unique opportunity to lift millions out of poverty and emphasized the need for opinion leaders like Bono to motivate the public to support opening up markets to the developing world.

"For developing countries, the road to prosperity is riddled with unfair barriers and difficult obstacles," Peterson wrote, citing billions of dollars spent by wealthy nations to unfairly subsidize their own farmers.

"The rich remain rich, and poorer countries suffer the consequences," said Peterson. "We must open up our markets to developing countries.

"We must rein in the obscene level of agricultural subsidies in the U.S. and the EU, which continue to deny essential economic opportunities to the world's poorest."

Posted by Jonathan at 11:09 PM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2005

Bush, Bono Have Lunch at the White House

In town for a concert, U2 rock star Bono was invited to lunch Wednesday with the president. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the meeting at the executive residence would be a follow-up on talks he had with President Bush in July at the G-8 summit in Scotland.

"They had a very good discussion about some of our common priorities," McClellan said. "Both share a deep commitment to combating AIDS, preventing malaria and expanding trade to lift people out of poverty."

McClellan said Bono also planned to meet with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley later in the day, before U2's concert at the MCI Center. The spokesman laughingly told reporters that Mr. Bush was not planning to attend the concert.

Bono and Bob Geldof, the organizer of the Live 8 concerts, met in July with Mr. Bush - along with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin -- to try to bolster support for African aid.

Blair wanted agreement to double aid for Africa to $50 billion by 2010 and for the G-8 nations to further commit to a target of providing foreign aid equal to 0.7 percent of their economy.

At that time, Bono told reporters, "We had some very tough meetings here today, some risks being taken on both sides. It is equally unhip, it turns out, for the politicians to be hanging out with us as it is for us to be hanging out with them."

Mr. Bush announced in June that he will seek to double Africa aid to more than $8.6 billion by 2010, but private aid groups say this included some money already pledged and would fall short by about $6 billion of the amount needed as America's share to get to the $50 billion total. Mr. Bush has also rejected setting a 0.7 percent target for aid.

Bono has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for international social justice efforts that include trying to persuade rich nations to relieve the debt of poor nations.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:33 PM | Comments (17)

October 16, 2005

Bono Unhappy With Santorum, Clinton

WASHINGTON -- U2's Bono says he is not involved in efforts by U.S. lawmakers to use his band's concerts to raise campaign money.

Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and other politicians have scheduled fundraising events in private suites during shows for U2's North American Vertigo tour, which runs through the end of December.

Jamie Drummond, executive director of DATA, an Africa advocacy group that Bono helped found, said in a message posted on the band's Web site: ``Neither DATA nor Bono are involved in these (fundraisers), and they cannot be controlled. The U2 concerts are categorically not fundraisers for any politician; they are rock concerts for U2 fans.''

Another DATA spokesman said Bono was speaking for himself and not for the rest of the Irish rock band.

Bono is a dedicated lobbyist for the world's poor and AIDS-stricken.

Santorum's press secretary, Robert Traynham, said Thursday that the decision by the Senate's third-ranking Republican to hold a fundraiser during Sunday's Philadelphia show is based on his ``deep respect and admiration for Bono and their work together over the last few years to fight the global spread of HIV-AIDS.''

Traynham said Santorum's office has not spoken with Bono about his position, but it is routine for elected officials to host such fundraisers at sporting and cultural events.

The fundraiser will go ahead as planned, Traynham said.

Clinton, the former first lady, who represents New York, expects 18 supporters willing to pay $2,500 each to benefit Democrats, to join her at a U2 concert at the MCI Center in Washington.

Messages left Thursday with Clinton's office were not immediately returned.

Posted by Jonathan at 05:43 AM | Comments (5)

September 22, 2005

Rep. Green to meet with Bono at U2 concert Sunday

By Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Rep. Mark Green, a U2 fan of '80s vintage and a lawmaker with an interest in Africa, plans to meet with the band's lead singer Bono to discuss HIV/AIDS and debt relief prior to Sunday's concert in Milwaukee.

Green, who is seeking the Republican nomination for governor in Wisconsin next year, said Wednesday that Bono's representative suggested the meeting. Debt AIDS Trade Africa, an issue advocacy organization co-founded by Bono which Green's office referred to, declined to comment.

The two men met previously a few years ago, in a discussion with other lawmakers as part of President Bush's AIDS initiative, Green Said.

Bono is a familiar presence in Washington, where he has lobbied lawmakers and presidents of both parties to provide more money to help fight AIDS, eliminate poverty and forgive debt to Third World countries.

Green, who taught high school for a year in Kenya in the 1980s, said the United States should assist Africa.

"We have to find ways of sowing seeds of hope in regions that have known a lot of despair," Green said. "There are ways in which we can help promote freedom and hope and hopefully prevent despair from taking hold in the future."

Green, a member of the House International Relations Committee, served as an elections monitor in Kenya in 2002. He's also traveled to Mali and Ghana with Save the Children and the Academy for Education Development.

Green, 45, joked that he'll have to ask his staff what to wear to the concert, because he hasn't been to one in 20 years.

"I happen to be a fan, although I haven't purchased lots of U2 albums recently," Green said, adding that his favorites were from the 1980s: "October," "Boy" and "War."

Posted by Jonathan at 04:25 PM | Comments (1)

June 07, 2005

Bono Doubles As Lobbyist for World's Poor

By Donna Cassata, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - It was a long day's work for Bono, lead singer for the rock band U2 and dedicated lobbyist for the world's poor and AIDS-stricken.

In Boston's FleetCenter on a Tuesday night, Bono and his band - Larry Mullen, Adam Clayton and the Edge - performed for a sold-out crowd, part of their 10-month, multicity tour of Europe and North America. Bono then rushed to the airport, arrived in Washington at 2 a.m. and five hours later set off on a busy schedule, his ubiquitous wraparound shades firmly in place.

The musician joined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for a State Department lunch and talks about the upcoming meeting of industrialized nations, aid to Africa and the prospects for the foreign operations spending bill.

Next stop was Capitol Hill where Bono pressed several lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Miss., about increasing assistance for the poor. Bono was back in Boston for two more sold-out shows Thursday and Saturday.

If there is a familiar image of Bono, it is this. The Irish-born singer crisscrossing the stage, microphone in hand, as he leads a band that has enjoyed critical and commercial success for nearly three decades. The numbers are impressive even by rock stardom standards: some dozen albums, more than 120 million copies sold worldwide, 14 Grammy awards and sold-out concerts from Berlin to Philadelphia.

In Washington, Bono is more than a musician who, with his band, was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since 1999, he has been a persistent and often-successful lobbyist, persuading Republicans and Democrats, presidents and lawmakers, to provide millions to help end the scourge of AIDS, eliminate poverty in Africa and forgive Third World debt.

Bono's celebrity has opened the doors to the Oval Office and Capitol Hill suites. His knowledge of issues and his dedication have won over the Washington elite, some of whom found their 15-minute, meet-and-greet sessions turning into hourlong policy talks.

"I told him he's my favorite pest. He keeps coming back," said Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill. "It's not unusual for members of Congress to be lobbied by stars and starlets. Usually it's a one-time stand. He's different. He clearly cares. He's clearly committed."

Said former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas: "I don't assume that a rock star is going to be lucid on the esoterics of economics." He gave Bono an "A-plus" for being well-informed and intensely devoted to the issues.

Celebrities often make a splash in Washington, whether it's testifying on Capitol Hill on a headline-grabbing issue or posing with the president as Elvis did with Richard M. Nixon. Inaugurals, major presidential speeches and media fetes attract the glitterati and sports stars. A former actor named Ronald Reagan became president and his Hollywood pals made the capital a destination.

But Bono has displayed staying power. He pounds the hallways of Congress, meeting with lawmakers when he can. He calls Washington officials during breaks in recording sessions. He traveled to Africa with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill in 2002 to draw attention to the plight of the continent's citizens. He enlisted the help of conservative Republican Jesse Helms, even though many in his music circle were aghast.

He's a rock star who can belt out U2 hits tinged with politics and religion, songs such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Pride (In the Name of Love)," to packed arenas. He also can tell the difference between an authorization bill and an appropriations measure. The former determines how much money will be spent; the latter provides the dollars.

"He's transcended music," said former Rep. John Kasich, R-Ohio, who met Bono through Arnold Schwarzenegger and later introduced the musician to Helms and Sen. Rick Santorum (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa. "He's gone from a rock band to a rock band with a purpose."

Said Santorum: "He knows the importance of 302b allocations," the arcane congressional terminology that refers to amount of money the appropriations committee doles out to each department and agency.

Through his involvement, Bono has set a standard for social activism that others may follow.

"Brad Pitt is studying closely how Bono works ... as is George Clooney," said Jamie Drummond, executive director of DATA.

DATA — Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa - is a nonprofit group Bono founded in 2002 with Bobby Shriver, the Kennedy nephew and Schwarzenegger brother-in-law who helped the musician navigate Washington, and various activists to increase awareness of the crises in Africa. The recently announced Live 8 concerts and the One campaign that has brought together the likes of P. Diddy, Pat Robertson and Cameron Diaz to fight poverty is the result of what Drummond calls "leveraging the global entertainment industry."

When Bono lobbies in the capital, there are few of the trappings of fame. No limousines, no entourage. When he met with Rice for lunch, each had one assistant.

But occasionally the rock star persona breaks through. In 2002, in a Rose Garden ceremony in which President Bush announced a $5 billion, three-year foreign aid package, Bono flashed the peace sign at the press corps. In a 2005 book titled, "Bono, in conversation with Michka Assayas," the singer recalled Bush's reaction.

"The peace sign was pretty funny. He thought so too," Bono said. "Keeping his face straight, he whispered under his breath, 'There goes a front page somewhere: Irish rock star with the Toxic Texan.'"

When Bono meets with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and word of his presence spreads, fans line up with copies of CDs and albums to be autographed. At one meeting with Durbin, the senator was amazed at "how many members of my staff had a newfound interest in the Global AIDS initiative."

Bono, born Paul David Hewson 45 years ago, began his crusade in 1997 when he was asked to help out on the Jubilee 2000 campaign for complete cancellation of the debt Third World nations owed to richer countries. Greater involvement convinced Bono that he was "way out of my depth," and a tutorial with then-Harvard professor Jeffrey Sachs soon followed.

In 2000, Bono lobbied to get $115 million for debt relief in the foreign operations bill. A year later, there was $435 million. More lobbying resulted in the AIDS initiative of $15 billion over five years and double the U.S. assistance for Africa.

"He's almost a statesman rather than a celebrity," said Shriver, a Santa Monica city councilman who remains on the board at DATA. "The young man's Nelson Mandela."

Posted by Jonathan at 04:53 PM | Comments (4)

April 21, 2005

Bono Assembles an Army

Brian Hiatt -- Rollingstone.com

U2 singer enlists Diddy and Timberlake for his fight against AIDS and poverty

In the latest and most public phase of Bono's ongoing battle against global AIDS and extreme poverty, the U2 singer has assembled an army of A-list celebrities -- from Justin Timberlake to Tom Hanks -- to encourage Americans to lobby their government for more funding.

"We're not asking for their money, we're asking for their voices," Bono said at an April press conference for the One Campaign, which aims to persuade the U.S. government to spend an additional one percent of its budget to assist Africa and other struggling regions. "This isn't a cause -- it's an emergency."

The One Campaign kicked into high gear on April 10th with the debut of a TV public-service announcement starring Timberlake, Hanks, Brad Pitt, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and George Clooney.

"A lot of what I know about these problems is really because of the involvement of people like Bono," says Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley, who will appear in a future PSA. "We're trying to make people aware of these issues."

The PSA urges viewers to visit the campaign's Web site, One.org, and electronically sign a declaration endorsing the additional aid, which would amount to about $25 billion a year. Fans who attend shows on U2's Vertigo Tour can also sign up by texting their name to a special number via cell phone -- those names will appear on U2's video screens during each night's performance of "One."

"If you ask Bush's advisers, they say Americans don't care about these issues," says Jamie Drummond, executive director of Bono's lobbying group DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa), which helped assemble the One Campaign. "We need people to raise their voices and say they care. The celebrities are the fire alarm; the people joining up for the campaign are the fire brigade."

Campaign organizers say 2005 marks a historic opportunity, because three international conferences scheduled for this year -- the G8 summit of leaders of the world's richest democratic countries in July, the U.N. Millennium +5 Summit in September and the World Trade Organization meeting in December -- will all focus on Africa.

"We're going to make that kind of extreme poverty history," said Bono. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life on this."

Posted by Jonathan at 04:31 AM | Comments (5)

December 29, 2004

Rock Star Bono Hails Chancellor's War On Want

12.29.04 - The Scotsman

Fraser Nelson

Political Editor

Bono, the rock star and front man of U2, boosted Gordon Brown's leadership chances yesterday by hailing the Chancellor's commitment to cutting third world debt.

And Bill Clinton, the former president of the United States, said Tony Blair was the world's best hope for helping Africa as he was one of the few heads of state to push poverty to the top of the agenda.

The double endorsement will provide Labour with a publicity boost as Britain takes over the presidency of the G8 in the new year - and the Prime Minister prepares to make a war on poverty the theme of the general election campaign.

Bono, who has joined Sir Bob Geldolf in using his celebrity to promote third world causes, was asked to guest-produce an edition of Today, BBC Radio Four's flagship breakfast programme.

It included an interview with the Chancellor who renewed his call for a step-change in the way rich countries tackle poverty.

"We shouldn't have to choose, as we are at the moment, between the temporary emergency relief that we are giving and the long-term tackling of the underlying causes of poverty," he said.

"We need to be able to do both, and that's why we need something akin to the Marshall Plan of the 1940s, which is a bold effort at reconstruction, a very substantial increase in resources."

For the last three years Mr Brown has been calling for rich countries to show the same generosity to Africa as the United States showed to post-war Europe by George Marshall, then US Secretary of State.

The US offered up to $20 billion of aid - but only if the European nations could get together and draw up a rational plan on how they would use the aid. Their subsequent co-operation formed the basis for the European Union.

Several pressure groups are now converging on Downing Street ahead of the finance ministers meeting - to be held in London in February. They met a warm reception from the Chancellor. Mr Brown yesterday hailed the "huge groundswell" of support from faith groups and members of the public who bought the Band Aid 20 single Do They Know It's Christmas.

"We have an Aids budget of £500 million a year for the developing countries. We spend more than £1 billion a year on education. But I accept that is not enough and we have got to do more," he said.

Mr Clinton spoke twice to the Today programme, and said it is easier for world leaders to talk about helping Africa after leaving office, because donating billions to charity does not always lead to political popularity.

"Poor people in other countries don't vote," said the former president. "So what we have to do is build a political movement which not only gets publicity but turns this into a vote-winning issue for a substantial number of people."

He agreed to Bono's request for an interview, he said, "because Tony Blair is genuinely committed to this" and has succeeded in building a majority within the UK parliament to send money.

Africa is already central to Labour's election strategy, as ministers hope to make the most of Britain's G8 presidency. A commission on Africa, which includes Geldof has been set up by Mr Blair.

After the expected election on 5 May, it will also be the focus of the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July.

It emerged yesterday that children as young as eight living near Gleneagles will be issued with identity cards as part of the massive security operation around the summit.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:08 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2004

Bono Tells Grads: Fight Poverty

5.18.04 - Washington Times

Philadelphia, PA, May. 18 (UPI) -- Rock singer Bono, speaking at commencement ceremonies at the University of Pennsylvania, called on graduates to restore the United States' positive image.

Bono, who fronts the Irish band U2, told a crowd at Penn's Franklin Field, "This is the time for bold measures ... and you are the generation."

Bono is known for his work on behalf of Africa and used his speech Monday to draw attention to AIDS on that continent and Third World debt, issues he described as an "emergency," the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

He said the generation of the graduates could wipe out poverty.

"It's an expensive fact but cheaper than fighting wave after wave of terrorism's new recruits. I believe America can do this. America is just not a country. It's an idea, an idea that brings with it responsibility," Bono said.

Graduate Alexander Lapinski told the Inquirer: "Bono was right. Hopefully this class of graduates can make us look better as a country." Lipinski said he has joined the Peace Corps and will be headed to an assignment in Asia.

Some 6,000 graduates received diplomas from Penn Monday. It was the 248th commencement ceremony at the university.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:37 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2004

Bono praises Martin for AIDS funding

5.13.04 - Canadian Press

Denies election link

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Paul Martin got some priceless pre-election publicity Wednesday as rock star Bono hailed him for increasing AIDS funding to Africa.

The U2 frontman, sitting casually in Martin's office with his legs crossed and wearing his trademark dark wraparound sunglasses, said he's not in Ottawa to campaign for the prime minister.

"I'm not here to elect Paul Martin or the Liberal party,'' he said. "I'm here to elect our issue -- the AIDS emergency. . . . I'm here to elect that to office, that's really it.''

But some of his other comments could have been scripted by a Liberal speechwriter:

"We've come to say thank you . . . We have to compliment the prime minister and his team. It's not just the easy money before an election. . . there's some cleverness going into this money.''

Increased Canadian funding for AIDS -- $100 million announced last week, and Wednesday's doubling of the Canadian contribution to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, to $70 million -- will be spent on technical assistance and cheaper AIDS drugs, Bono said.

Bono and Martin first met several years ago when both adopted Third World debt relief as personal causes in the late 1990s. The Irish singer also appeared at the November convention when Martin was chosen Liberal leader.

The prime minister, wearing an AIDS ribbon on his lapel, credited Bono's role in raising AIDS awareness around the world.

"His capacity to awaken the world is unique,'' Martin said. "There's no doubt about the tremendous contribution that Bono has made. This is a unique style of leadership which he has taken around the world.''

Bono was diplomatic when asked about Canada's failure to reach its long-stated international target of 0.7 per cent of GDP contributed to foreign aid. He credited Lester B. Pearson for lobbying other countries to work toward that target in the 1960s, but struggled to remember the name of the late Liberal prime minister.

"It was a great Canadian -- another prime minister -- Lester, I think his name was. Lester Pearson, who put forward the idea of 0.7 per cent as the right contribution of national income for the world's poor.

"That's less than one per cent. I think that's where we're going to have to go finally, to deal with the AIDS emergency.''

Martin was evasive when asked whether Canada could reach that target, which is roughly triple the current contribution to international aid. He said he was committed to targetted funding increases.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:35 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2003

Rambling talk by U2 star Bono endorses Martin, Canada in helping third world

11.15.03 - Canadian Press

TORONTO (CP) - Rock star Bono endorsed the Liberal government's efforts to help the third world during a long, rambling speech in support of the next prime minister, Paul Martin.

Bono, of the Irish super group U2, said he agreed to speak because he's a fan of Canada and because Martin has delivered on previous promises to help Africa and other impoverished regions.

"I'm a fan of Canada," he said. "I believe the world needs more Canada."

Bono also joked that he felt a bit uncertain because he's not used to appearing in front of small crowds.

"You will have to forgive me if I'm a little shy - you know, I'm not used to speaking to crowds of less than 25,000," he said to laughter in the spellbound audience of about 10,000.

That was a reference to the relatively low leadership convention turnout, which amounts to a coronation for Martin.

Bono has previously met with both Martin and Prime Minister Jean Chretien to talk about the importance of eliminating third world debt.

"I might be the only thing they can agree on," he said, ribbing the two political rivals, who have been at odds for much of the last few years.

Bono was invited by the Martin camp, but he cautioned Martin may not be so fond of him in future as he continues to lobby for help to the third world.

"I'm going to be the biggest pain in his ass," he said. "A year from now he's going to regret tonight."

Posted by Jonathan at 03:19 AM | Comments (0)

September 17, 2003

Bono Urges Bush to Keep His Promises to Fight AIDS in Africa

9.17.03 - AFP

U2 rocker and activist Bono told President George W. Bush of his fears of seeing the United States fall down on its promise to finance the battle against AIDS.

"I can get very angry," Bono told reporters.

The lead singer of U2 lent Bush his support after the president's January promise of 15 billion dollars to fight AIDS over the coming five years, mostly in Africa.

Bono said he met with Bush early Tuesday at the White House to ask him to pressure Congress for the promised funds.

"He is very passionate about this problem, and I believe him when I say he is committed, ... but we cannot agree on the numbers," said Bono, flanked by bishops in the Methodist church Bush attends regularly.

Several US churches launched a campaign Tuesday to make good on the US promise to Africa by asking voters to call their representatives in Congress so they will provide the funds Bush promised.

Bush included a total of three billion dollars in his 2004 budget bill to battle AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The funds would be separate from UN funds for the same purpose.

Another Bush initiative, the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA), is a 1.3-billion-dollar project aimed at persuading poor countries to adopt good economic and social management.

However, the Senate and the House of Representatives, both of which are controlled by Bush's Republican Party, cut the AIDS funding to two billion dollars and the MCA to less than one billion.

The two houses of Congress must reconcile the final figures. The US churches, as well as DATA (Debt, Trade, AIDS, Africa), which Bono created, have launched their campaign to push those figures back up between now and the budget vote.

"We want the money now; we need the money now," said Bono, born Paul David Hewson.

Bono said that he had met with several lawmakers as well as candidates for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination during his stay in Washington.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:12 AM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2003

Bono Hails US Interest In Africa, Awaits Cheque From Bush

7.7.03 - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Irish singer and activist U2's Bono hailed US President George W. Bush for his "sincerity" in wanting to help Africa and criticized the US Congress for what he was were moves to undermine those efforts.

"I believe the president is sincere in his conviction to put America up front and in a way that hasn't been done before," Bono said during a teleconference as Bush prepared a visit to five African countries.

Bono noted the "drama unfolding backstage in Congress" where moves are afoot to make 1.7 billion dollar in cuts to an aid package Bush seeks to allocate to African countries.

"This threatens all of the above and makes meaningless the president's intent to make his trip," he said.

"We have to make sure that his intentions are not undone and we are watching the process," Bono said, adding that, "we are not fooled by photo-ops ... the only thing that impresses us is getting the check cashed, not the check signing."

"It's potentially life-changing and life-saving for millions of people," he said.

Bush was to embark on a five-nation trip to Africa, his first visit to the continent which will be dominated by the crisis in Liberia.

The US president departs Washington and travels from July 8-12 to Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria.

Bush is seeking to promote anti-AIDS ( news -web sites ) projects and boost development in Africa, while looking for stronger cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:07 AM | Comments (0)

June 09, 2003

Ahern Thanks Press For Telling Story Of Ireland's Peace Process

6.9.03 - Press Association

The story of Ireland's peace process has inspired troubled areas across the world, Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.

By: Press Association

The Taoiseach thanked the international press for keeping Irish communities everywhere informed about developments in Northern Ireland.

Speaking to more than a 1,000 media chiefs at the 56th World Newspaper Congress in Dublin, Mr Ahern said: "The story of Ireland's peace efforts has been covered across the world.

"It is a positive story of vision and courage which has also given inspiration to other troubled locations."

He said the gap that still had to be closed was narrow in relation to the one that had already been bridged. But he added: "It is a vital gap and one that cannot be left open.

"It is proving difficult to get the commitments now required to ensure trust and confidence among the parties. "Elections have been postponed. Frustration is evident and understandable."

Mr Ahern said the people of Northern Ireland would benefit greatly from overcoming these difficulties in terms of economic stability and increased investment. He said the Irish government remained "100% committed" to the task of helping the political parties out of the current impasse.

"We greatly appreciate the role that the international media has played in ensuring that Ireland's extensive communities in other countries have remained informed about developments in Ireland particularly in relation to the peace process," he said. "Indeed the support of the Irish abroad has been an enormous boost to our efforts."

Mr Ahern was addressing newspaper delegates from 88 countries as they began a three-day conference addressing the role of newspapers in society. He said newspapers were the "fabric" of Ireland's culture and that they contributed enormously to the civic life of a society. The premier voiced his support for Irish rock star Bono, who also addressed the gathering.

"Bono has been an eloquent and effective advocate of the need for a fairer relationship between rich and poor countries," Mr Ahern said. "We in Ireland applaud his successful efforts in raising the conscience of the world on global inequality, injustice and the scourge of Aids."

U2 frontman Bono addressed the conference wearing his trademark hat and dark glasses. He told editors that celebrities and the media needed each other and thanked the press for helping highlight his causes.

"When it comes to the work I do in Africa the newspapers have always been there for me," he said. "I am here to thank you for helping me."

The singer has used his fame to generate media coverage of poverty and Aids. He has won numerous awards for his efforts, including the Legion d'Honneur from the French Government this year. Bono urged delegates at the conference to use their power to help causes such as the inequality between rich and poor countries.

"I am tough but you are the toughest and that has something to do with the power you have in your headlines," he told them. "It is an amazing thing."

He said he had no complaints about media coverage of him and spoke of a tabloid story telling of "Bono's Boozy night with Frank Sinatra".

"Sadly that was true," he said.

He said his only complaint was that one newspaper put a picture of his rear on its front page.

"It was an appalling invasion of my privacy," he said. "I objected to the wide-angle lens which I felt gave the wrong impression."

The World Newspaper Congress and the World Editors' Forum will be addressed by a number of guests over the next three days. They will cover topics such as press freedom and the art of survival of newspapers.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:04 AM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2003

US Must Not Lose Voice, Says Bono

3.19.03 - Irish Examiner

By Sean O'Driscoll, Washington

U2 lead singer Bono has appealed to the US not to become the political version of "a disco band" and lose its voice for equality around the world.

Accepting a humanitarian award at the American Ireland Fund Gala in Washington early yesterday, Bono said the US was like a band he loved.

"When I'm in Washington, I'm afraid someone is going to tell me I'm not with the band but that hasn't happened," he said.

He told the 1,000 guests at the gala he was "like an annoying fan" who read the sleeve notes and criticised the band.

"Those sleeve notes are the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they are a force for equality and justice," he said.

He also paid tribute to US politicians who had helped secure $15 billion in funding for AIDS programmes in Africa, including President Bush and former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who toured Africa with Bono before he was fired by the Bush administration.

Bono shied away from mentioning President Bush's US address announcing the Iraq war, broadcast only two hours before.

"Instead I'm going to talk about what I know about," he said, before appealing to the US to launch a war on poverty after the war on terrorism has ended. The gala generated about $1 million dollars for the Special Olympics in Dublin this summer.

Accepting the 2003 International Humanitarian Award, Bono said he wanted to pay special thanks to John F Kennedy's sister Eunice Shriver for bringing the Special Olympics to Ireland.

The guests, who included the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, also heard a speech by Special Olympics athlete Rita Lawlor, who received a standing ovation for a speech in which she explained how the Special Olympics had changed her life.

Afterwards, Bono embraced her on the podium and asked her for her autograph.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:50 AM | Comments (0)

March 04, 2003

Bono Demands Action To End 'Forgotten War'

3.4.03 - Irish Examiner

Rock star Bono was last night honoured with an award for his humanitarian work around the globe and chose the ceremony to ask why millions of people were not out on the streets protesting about the number of Africans dying from Aids.

The U2 front man said that protesters should be speaking out about "the forgotten war" as well as the threat of conflict in Iraq.

Receiving the Humanitarian Award at Dublin's Meteor Music Awards, Bono said there was something obscene about everybody sitting watching what was going on in the Middle East on television.

He added: "The only thing I want to talk about is the other war, the forgotten war.

"Hundreds and thousands of people may die every day in Iraq in the next few months and that makes us feel a little ill.

"I want to know why there aren't a million out on the streets for this other war."

The star - who wore a suit, a red v-neck and his trademark glasses - received the Humanitarian Award for his dedication to the world's problems, from international debt to Aids.

Bono was commended in video recordings by former US President Bill Clinton and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, while ex South African President Nelson Mandela congratulated his "tireless campaigning" in a message read out at the ceremony.

Bono said his recent nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize elevated the cases that he represented.

With last night's award came a donation of £100,000, which the singer decided to split equally between charities Concern and Goal.

Previous recipients of the Humanitarian Award are Elton John and Christina Noble.

U2 scooped the award for best group at last night's Meteor Awards, which are in their third year.

The award for best Irish pop act went to Westlife, who denied recent media reports they are going to split up as "absolute rubbish".

"It's all a lot of crap," said band member Nicky Byrne, who is set to marry Mr. Ahern's daughter Georgina.

Presenters of the awards included film star Colin Farrell, television presenter Brian Dowling and Sharon and Jim Corr.

Bob Geldof was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Performers at the event included singers Sinead O'Connor and Samantha Mumba.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2003

Bono's Noble Work Gets Nobel Prize Nomination

2.19.03 - Irish Examiner

By Alister Doyle, Oslo

Bono has been nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, it emerged yesterday.

It is the second year in a row that the U2 singer has been nominated.

He is running against French president Jacques Chirac, the governor of the US state of Illinois who spared all inmates on death row, Pope John Paul II and a Cuban dissident.

"We have a total of 150 nominees so far, of which 21 are organisations," Geir Lundestad, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, said yesterday after compiling a list of names sent by the February 1 deadline. The institute only gives the overall number of nominees but does not name them.

But people and organisations whose names have been made public elsewhere include Bono, the European Union, peace group Women in Black, Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, Cuba's leading dissident Oswaldo Paya and human rights group Global Witness.

Mr Lundestad said the list was likely at least to match the record 156 for the 2002 prize, won by former US President Jimmy Carter, because members of the secretive five-member awards committee can propose names when they first meet next Tuesday.

Bono has become an outspoken fundraiser for Third World problems in recent years. He was instrumental in the Drop The Debt campaign, which wiped out millions of dollars of international debt owed by Third World governments.

He has travelled the world to lobby world leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac, to encourage them to contribute more aid relief to developing countries.

Mr Lundestad said fears of war in Iraq had apparently not distracted from peace efforts elsewhere in the world. "The range of nominees is very wide," he said.

Stein Toennesson, the director of the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, said chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix and Mohamed El-Baradei, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, will be favourites if they help avert war in Iraq.

"If they succeed in getting Iraq to disarm sufficiently to prevent the US and Britain from going to war, then they deserve it," he said.

George Ryan, the former governor of Illinois who commuted the sentences of more than 150 people on death row in January, is among nominees along with former Czech President Vaclav Havel.

Peace experts say that Americans like Ryan, Nunn or Lugar can probably forget 2003 because Carter won in 2002. The committee increasingly aims for an international scope.

Lundestad said there were no hard and fast rules. But prizes have almost never gone to people of the same nationality in consecutive years.

Thousands of people around the world have the right to make nominations, including members of all national parliaments, professors of history, social science, philosophy and theology and former winners.

Posted by Jonathan at 02:40 AM | Comments (0)

January 30, 2003

US AIDS Pledge 'big step in right direction', Bono

1.30.03 - U2.com

Bono has welcomed US President George Bush's decision to spend more on Aids prevention in Africa and the Caribbean.

In his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US President surprised commentators by revealing plans to increase the country's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief budget by $10 billion (#6.28bn) to $15 billion (#9.43bn) over the next five years. President Bush said the funds would help prevent seven million new infections.

Bono, speaking on behalf of DATA the campaigning organisation which fights poverty and the AIDS crisis in the developing world, said that 'If we can turn the president's bold long term vision into near term results we're excited. Any delay in increased funding means more lives lost and an even bigger cheque in the future.'

The US, he added, needs to spend $2.5bn (#1.5bn) out of this year's budget to help tackle the Aids crisis - and Europe must match the US contribution. When it does, then 'the war against the biggest health crisis in 600 years will have truly begun.'

That said, the American commitment was a big step in the right direction. 'The president's emphasis upon anti-retroviral treatment represents a true paradigm shift and is to be wholly welcomed,' he said.

Campaigners have hailed America's surprise $15bn package - and are calling for other countries to follow suit. More here www.guardian.co.uk

DATA point out that following this historic announcement, there are now several key questions (we list them below) but you can find them analysed and explained here www.datadata.org

The questions are :

1. Will there be at least $2.5 billion in the 2004 budget?

2. Is this new money or a re-direction of promised increases taken from the Millennium Challenge Account?

3. Will there be enough to fully finance the Global Fund for AIDS TB and Malaria?

4. Will the initiative support a balanced approach?

The following is excerpted from President Bush's State of the Union address on January 28, 2003: "As our Nation moves troops and builds alliances to make our world safer, we must also remember our calling, as a blessed country, to make this world better. Today, on the continent of Africa, nearly 30 million people have the AIDS virus including three million children under the age of 15. There are whole countries in Africa where more than one-third of the adult population carries the infection. More than four million require immediate drug treatment. Yet across that continent, only 50,000 AIDS victims only 50,000 are receiving the medicine they need. Because the AIDS diagnosis is considered a death sentence, many do not seek treatment. Almost all who do are turned away. A doctor in rural South Africa describes his frustration. He says, We have no medicines many hospitals tell [people], You ve got AIDS. We can't help you. Go home and die. In an age of miraculous medicines, no person should have to hear those words. AIDS can be prevented. Anti-retroviral drugs can extend life for many years. And the cost of those drugs has dropped from 12,000 dollars a year to under 300 dollars a year which places a tremendous possibility within our grasp. Ladies and gentlemen, seldom has history offered a greater opportunity to do so much for so many. We have confronted, and will continue to confront, HIV/AIDS in our own country. And to meet a severe and urgent crisis abroad, tonight I propose the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa. This comprehensive plan will prevent seven million new AIDS infections treat at least two million people with life-extending drugs and provide humane care for millions of people suffering from AIDS, and for children orphaned by AIDS. I ask the Congress to commit 15 billion dollars over the next five years, including nearly ten billion dollars in new money, to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean." For the latest news this and to join the campaign against global poverty check here www.datadata.org

Posted by Jonathan at 02:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2002

Bono Rules Out Political Career

7.5.02 - BBC

Rock star Bono has insisted he is not interested in becoming a politician despite his globetrotting work as a rights campaigner.

The U2 frontman said music was still his first love and that politics was not something he saw in his future.

"Nothing comes close to the feeling of waking up with a melody in your head and having a band like U2 to help you capture it," he told Hot Press magazine.

"Politicians don't turn me on, politics doesn't turn me on, the way music does. I have a lot more respect for them than I used to. They work a lot harder than I thought...but I don't want to be one."

The Irish star recently travelled the world to lobby world leaders including French President Jacques Chirac to encourage them to improve aid relief to developing countries.

Bono and US Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil went on a 10-day four-nation tour of the continent aimed at improving the impact of development aid.

He also visited a South African hospital for mothers infected with HIV to see for himself the devastating affect the disease is having on Africa.

Bono's name has been mentioned in connection as a possible Irish presidential candidate, a position which is largely ceremonial and attracts people from outside politics.

But Bono joked: "I don't think I could live with the pay cut or moving to a smaller house."

The 42-year-old has long been a campaigner against anything he sees as unjust.

"I'm getting angrier and that's what makes me believe that with some smart thinking and simple changes to our lives, we can drastically improve the lives of so many other people," he said.

He also told the magazine U2 have been working on a follow-up to their Grammy-winning album All That You Can't Leave Behind and are planning to release a greatest hits compilation later in the year.

"We set up in a disused bar/nightclub in the South of France. Very punk rock and very like old clubs we used to play.

"Maybe it was being in that kind of venue, but the music we started to make was very lo-fi high energy."

Posted by Jonathan at 04:49 PM | Comments (0)

June 21, 2002

Bono Implores Chirac to Help Africa

6.21.02 - Associated Press

PARIS (AP) - Rock star Bono urged French President Jacques Chirac to be "a champion for Africa" when he and other world leaders meet next week to discuss a new development plan for the continent.

Chirac has "been in Africa more than any other politician," the U2 singer and activist said Thursday before meeting the French leader at the Elysee Palace.

"He has a passion for Africa and I want to turn his passion into cash," Bono said.

France and other Group of Eight nations will discuss the new plan for Africa at a June 26-27 meeting in Canada. It offers a package of trade and aid for Africa, coupled with assistance in ending civil wars and improving governance across the continent.

"We're looking for a champion for Africa for this year's G-8 and next year in France," Bono said.

Chirac said he hoped for progress at the summit and pledged that "France will play its part."

The French leader said it was essential that industrial nations cancel or reduce debts owed by poor nations and improve development aid.

Bono and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill toured Africa last month after the singer persuaded the U.S. official to see for himself the importance of debt relief, fair trade and effective aid. O'Neill says the United States is committed to helping Africa, but aid money should be used effectively and produce measurable results.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)

February 03, 2002

Unlikely Note Is Struck on World Finance Stage

2.3.02 - LA Times

Bill Gates and Bono challenge the Treasury chief and the U.S. to boost foreign aid.

By William Orme, Times Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- At one end of the dais was Uncle Sam's chief financial representative, a man seen by some at this year's World Economic Forum as Uncle Scrooge: Paul H. O'Neill, an unapologetic opponent of increased aid from the world's wealthiest nation to the world's poorest nations.

On the other side, taking on the Treasury secretary and his tightfisted policies, was the new odd couple of the aid advocacy world: the wealthiest nation's wealthiest man, Bill Gates, in his trademark mail-order glasses and open-collar shirt, and Bono, the Irish rock star, in his trademark wraparound shades and much more open collar.

Looking squarely at O'Neill, his fellow panelist at a session during the annual forum's third day here, Gates chastised the U.S. government Saturday as "the laggard" among world aid donors.

"If we took the world and reordered it so that you and me were close to a random neighborhood from some other part of the world, you would see the living conditions, the medical problems, the infant mortality, and of course the human spirit would respond to that," Gates said.

Bono, who has emerged at the forum as the unlikely chief spokesman for developing nations and international aid programs, was clearly pleased to have his new billionaire friend taking the lead Saturday.

Noting that he once enlisted Pope John Paul II in his campaign for debt relief for poor nations--"an unusual juxtaposition" that he said was calculated to attract media attention--the U2 front man smiled broadly as he and Gates reiterated pleas for aid later at a joint news conference.

"Now I am here with the pope of software, making another unusual juxtaposition," Bono said.

After announcing Saturday that he is personally giving an additional $50 million to combat the worldwide spread of AIDS, Gates challenged O'Neill and the Bush administration to increase U.S. government funding for health-care programs in sub-Saharan Africa and other poor regions. More money for vaccinations alone could save 2 million lives a year, Gates said, "and if the U.S. doesn't do it, it is not going to happen."

O'Neill, however, politely but pointedly dismissed the criticism from the software tycoon and the rock star, making clear that he remains opposed to appeals for a major increase in aid from wealthy nations. Poor countries have received "trillions of dollars in aid over the years with precious little to show for it," he said, a calculation that appeared from his later remarks to include the costs of the many internationally backed bailouts of indebted nations from Asia to Latin America in recent decades.

"The question is, how do we create a situation so that people become engines of economic progress, and not just objects of our pity?" O'Neill said.

Bono retorted that without outside help for basic health care, many poor countries will find economic progress impossible.

"Dead people don't make a great work force," he said.

Britain, France and other European nations have been pushing plans to boost aid from the world's wealthiest nations to poor countries and regions, but the Bush administration has blocked the proposals. In November, O'Neill in effect vetoed a proposed call by the finance ministers of the wealthy Group of 7 nations that they all aim to devote 0.7% of their gross domestic product to international aid programs. Few now are close to that goal; the furthest away, figures show, is the United States, where an estimated 0.1% of the GDP goes to foreign aid. The United Nations has long sought commitments from rich countries to boost aid to 1% of GDP.

More recently, the U.S. Treasury torpedoed proposals to have wealthy nations pledge an eventual doubling in their foreign aid commitment, an idea backed most prominently by Gordon Brown, Britain's chancellor of the exchequer. Proponents had hoped to have the pledge adopted at a U.N. conference on foreign aid in Monterrey, Mexico, next month. But the administration told conference planners that President Bush would cancel a planned appearance there if specific aid commitments were adopted, diplomats at the United Nations said.

Mexico, counting on Bush's presence to give greater prominence to the conference, urged the Europeans to back away from their insistence on fixed aid goals, the diplomats said. Last week, the White House announced that Bush would attend.

O'Neill, asked here whether he agreed with the goals endorsed by Brown and others, said he is "not charmed by proposals" to set specific targets for aid increases.

"Why is it that the spread between those of us who are privileged and those of us who are not is so incomprehensibly large?" O'Neill said. "My answer to that question is: Up until now, we've lacked imagination."

But Ernesto Zedillo, Mexico's former president, who also appeared on the panel with O'Neill, suggested mildly that what is lacking isn't imagination, but cash.

"Even if we update institutions, the bottom line is, we still need money," Zedillo said.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), speaking from the audience, also challenged O'Neill. Less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget is spent on foreign aid, he said, with the bulk of that going to Israel and Egypt and what Leahy characterized as disguised export promotion programs and funds for "the failed war" on drugs.

"We are left with a tiny, tiny portion for very poor countries," Leahy said. "It's ridiculous."

The new focus on health and on environmental problems in poor countries by Gates and other wealthy philanthropists--Ted Turner and the Hewlett and Packard families, among others--has been cited by some U.S. opponents of government assistance as a more efficient and focused form of foreign aid. But Gates argued vigorously here for greatly increased aid from the United States and other official donors.

"Certainly private philanthropy is no substitute for governmental action here," Gates told reporters later. "The scale of the problem, and the need to engage it government-to-government, is just way too great for this to be done, even with the increases you will be seeing in private philanthropy."

More official funding of health and development programs in poor nations also will attract more money from private charities, Gates said.

"We have said to governments that 'if you step up and increase, we will be stepping up and increasing as well,' " said Gates, whose personal foundation reports that it has given out $2.8 billion in grants and pledged $2.1 billion more since its creation two years ago. More than half the grants have gone to global health projects, it says.

In their joint appeal for aid to poor nations, Gates let Bono do most of the talking.

Though the rock star had described himself to a forum concert audience as "the poor man's James Joyce or the thinking man's Perry Como," he came across Saturday as a secretly studious policy wonk in hipster's clothing. With Gates attentively nodding, he spoke offhandedly about the Group of 8 summit in Canada later this year, his recent drug pricing discussions with executives from major drug companies, and the debate over "conditionality" in World Bank debt restructuring programs.

Bono was carefully diplomatic about O'Neill, giving him credit for honesty--"the secretary's position accurately reflects a certain distrust in the U.S. about foreign aid," he said--and disclosing plans to accompany O'Neill on a visit to Africa in a month and a half. The Treasury Department later confirmed plans for the trip.

"The great thing about hanging out with Republicans is that it is very unhip for both of us," Bono said. "There is a parity of pain there."

Outside, unseen by Gates or Bono or any other forum participants, about 7,000 demonstrators converged for the largest protests yet against the five-day gathering of political and business leaders. The protesters represented a variety of causes, from animal rights and environmentalism to Palestinian nationalism and anti-globalization campaigns.

Holding brightly colored signs, the marchers were watched by thousands of police officers who walked alongside, behind and in front of them as they made their way toward the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, the site of the forum. Officials said 36 people were arrested for misdemeanor offenses.

"It's all about greed, man," said college student Joel Silverman, who had come to protest international bankers' "blatant manipulation" of poor economies.

As she donned a rubber Statue of Liberty crown, Michelle Arti of France called the forum "a force for evil."

Most New Yorkers paid little heed, but some watching the protests were openly antagonistic.

"Go home!" yelled a man in front of a Gap store near 59th Street, a target of protests earlier in the week. "We've had enough craziness in this town--we don't need any more."

* * *

Times staff writer Josh Getlin contributed to this report.

Posted by Jonathan at 04:10 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2001

Bono Discusses Debt Relief With Powell

3.17.01 - The Irish Times

Bono brought his campaign for debt relief for developing countries to the US State Department tonight, where he had a meeting with Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell.

Bono and Mr Powell also talked about Africa and AIDS, two other humanitarian concerns of the U2 lead singer, State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said.

Mr Powell told Bono he was glad the singer was using his fame to work on something good, a State Department official added. Bono replied, 'Our audience is smart and aware.'

"A lot of individuals in the private sector, coming from a lot of different backgrounds have been very important to some of these issues and we listen to these people. ... We're in a new age, a democratic age when there are a lot of players besides the government," said Mr Boucher.

Mr Powell, who was about to go to the White House for an Irish event, learned from Bono the correct pronunciation of taoiseach.

Last year, Bono played a part in persuading the United States to provide $435 million in debt relief to some of the world's most indebted poor.

Posted by Jonathan at 03:24 AM | Comments (0)

October 04, 2000

Bono Making Headway With U.S. Lawmakers For Debt Relief

10.4.00 - Launch.com

(10/4/00, 10 a.m. ET) - Bono has backed up his words with his presence in Washington, D.C., in his attempt to let the world's poorest countries off the hook for money owed to the United States. President Clinton made a plea to congress on Monday (October 2) to approve $435 million in debt relief, and the U2 singer was in attendance, as were various religious and social leaders.

So far, the House Of Representatives has agreed to allot $225 million for debt relief, while the Senate approved $75 million in relief. Bono, a spokesperson for the debt-relief organization Jubilee 2000, says it's encouraging that Clinton is getting the message. "The President, we've met with him and spoken to him about this. He's very informed about it," notes Bono. "It's very exciting because it's a tangible goal, and for our audience and our constituency it's like, 'Wow. Before the end of the year we can actually change the world.'"

Clinton attempted to show Congress the widespread support for the bill as he said, "It shows you the depth and breadth of commitment of Congressional, religious, and civic leaders to convince Congress to appropriate the entire $435 million that we pledged in debt relief."

The House Of Representatives and the Senate are currently getting their budget proposals in order for the next year, and they're considering the role debt relief will play in their respective budgets.

-- Darren Davis, New York

Posted by Jonathan at 12:07 AM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2000

U2's Bono Asks for Debt Relief

9.8.00 - Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - U2's Bono joined a sea of protesters and politicians on Thursday calling for the world's wealthiest countries to forgive the hundreds of billions of dollars of debt saddling the most destitute nations.

"The only thing that is standing in the way of forgiving this debt is bureaucracy and red tape," said the black-clad Bono, wearing his signature goggle-like sunglasses and standing next to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. "Show us the money!"

The two men presented Secretary-General Kofi Annan with a petition signed by 21.2 million people from more than 155 countries.

The United States has balked at the calls for debt relief and tariff reductions for poor countries. Other world leaders say they are willing to erase $100 billion worth of debt, but that still leaves $250 billion that poor countries say they cannot repay. Nigeria alone owes $30 billion in debt it says it can't make good on.

Annan thanked Bono and Obasanjo and said that the effort was a good example of common humanity and solidarity.

The signatures were collected at churches and other organizations.

"It's a new world government and we must understand that people out there want something done," Annan said.

Posted by Jonathan at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 1999

Bono Hails "Gigantic Step" on Third World Debt

LONDON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Pop star Bono, a leading figure the campaign for Third World debt relief, on Sunday hailed Britain's decision to write off hundreds of millions of pounds of debt as a "gigantic step" for his campaign.

Bono, lead singer with Ireland's top rock band U2, said an important principle had been established by British Finance Minister Gordon Brown, who is expected to confirm the debt relief on Tuesday. "You can't really over-emphasise what has happened here. It's a gigantic thing for us," Bono told Sky television.

"It (the campaign) is not over, but a principle has been established.... a principle which will affect the lives of potentially a billion people if we get what we want."

Bono, who speaks for the Jubilee 2000 campaign to end Third World debt, said that principle would make clear that "from now it is immoral and untenable to argue that the poorest of the poor should repay loans to wealthy countries ... when they should be feeding or inoculating their children." He said Jubilee 2000 would continue to fight for multilateral cancellation of debt, but applauded Brown and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for taking the lead. Brown, who has made debt relief one of his key personal battles, says debt will be written off by up to 100 percent on a case-by-case basis if countries promise to use the money they save in good causes.

The first four countries should start receiving relief from the burden of interest payments and debt by the end of January, with the government aiming to increase that number to 25 by the end of next year.

Among the conditions are that the savings should not be spent on arms or bureacracy.

Bono said the conditions were strict and would not be ignored by beneficiary countries, but said that both sides of the debt issue had lessons to learn. "The critics that argue on this line often forget that it was irresponsible lending that got us into this position as well as irresponsible borrowing," he said. "The strict conditionality has to go both ways."

Posted by Jonathan at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 1999

Bono And Friends Praise "Funky Pontiff" At World Debt Summit

Bono and Bob Geldof have praised Pope John Paul II for backing a global campaign to cancel debts owed by the world's poorest countries.

The U2 frontman and the Live Aid supremo met with His Holiness at his summer residence in Rome today (September 23), as part of a delegation of musicians, economists and charity workers from the Jubilee 2000 Coalition.

Bono gave the Pope a collection of poetry by Seamus Heaney, and as he handed over the book, His Holiness also grabbed the singer's trademark 'Fly' sunglasses and put them on.

At a press conference following the behind-closed-doors meeting, Bono said: "He's a charming man as well as a holy man. I told him he was a great showman, whereupon he took my 'Fly' shades and put them on. The first funky Pontiff!"

The singer said he was aware that the Pope was not in the best of health and that he was grateful that he made the effort to meet the delegation.

"You could see what a struggle it was for him and yet he made it seem so easy to hang out with a bunch of economists and pop stars. I don't know how you could turn such a man down, and I don't think Bill Clinton wants to turn this man down, or Tony Blair, or Gerhard Schroeder."

Bono has met all three politicians on behalf of Jubilee 2000 in recent months.

Geldof added: "Were the spirit of this frail old man mirrored in a practical way by our political leaders, then the final push of political will to eradicate this unnecessary tragedy would be easily achieved... and I liked his shoes!"

Bono joked that the Pope's red-brown Gucci's may well have been fakes bought in Poland.

"To have that grace, to be so light with such a heavy issue weighing on his mind was something I'll remember always," the U2 singer continued. "And it is a heavy issue that, at the end of the 20th century, there are over a billion people in dire circumstances, and people of my generation are tired of throwing pennies at the problem.

"They want to be part of a bigger idea, to effect the structure of this economy, and this is the biggest and best idea that any of us have heard to deal with such a problem on such a scale."

Quincy Jones, who was also part of the delegation, said: "We're talking about humanity. This man is not in the greatest of health right now, but he put every inch of fortitude and spirit into being involved in the project because he feels the same, if not more so, as we all do.

"I don't think I've been this impressed since meeting Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra and Stravinsky, but this was in a whole other realm."

In a prepared statement, the Pope said: "The Catholic Church looks at the situation with great concern, not because she has any concrete technical model of development to offer, but because she has a moral vision of what the good of individuals and of the human family demands.

"She has consistently taught that there is a 'social mortgage' on all private property, a concept which today must also be applied to 'intellectual property' and to 'knowledge'. The law of profit alone cannot be applied to that which is essential for the fight against hunger, disease and poverty."

Ann Pettifor, director and co-founder of Jubilee 2000, added: "It is now up to the world's leaders to rise to the Pope's call and moral leadership."

Latino jazz star Willie Colon said the Western economies could afford to wipe out the debts of their poorer neighbours: "It would take $6 billion to educate everyone in the Third World, and in America they spent $8 billion a year on cosmetics. It would take $9 billion to bring electricity and water to everyone that needs it, and in Europe and America we spent $17 billion on dog food.

"It really is a shame. It's not gonna cost us anything, we're not gonna feel it, and it's the right thing to do."

Posted by Jonathan at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)

June 19, 1999

Bono leads human chain protest for more debt relief

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) -- Led by Irish rocker Bono, at least 20,000 people held hands to form a human chain Saturday around the Group of Eight summit city protesting a deal for Third World debt relief they say doesn't go far enough.

Bono, of the band U2, and other musicians joined the effort organized by the Jubilee 2000 Coalition, an international church-led movement that wants Western nations to scrap debts owed by less developed countries to mark the new millennium.

"We appreciate the absurdity of how it looks, spoiled rock stars on this serious issue," said Bono, dressed all in black except for the orange lenses of his wrap-around sunglasses. But celebrity pressure is necessary, he said, to generate the public pressure necessary for world leaders to take action.

"That's why the pop stars are here -- to popularize it, and oversimplify it," said the rock star who presented petitions to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the G-8 summit host, and was to meet later with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Leading industrial countries reached agreement Friday on a plan to offer as much as dlrs 100 billion in debt relief to 33 of the world's poorest countries.

But the religious groups that dominate Jubilee 2000 are pushing the rich nations to be more generous, complaining that the initiative fell far short of what is needed to relieve a crushing burden of debt on the world's most destitute.

"It's a genuine start, but if it were dlrs 200 billion then you'd start to make a difference," said one London-based organizer, Adrian Lovett.

He said the 52 poorest nations owe dlrs 370 billion in debt.

Police said 20,000 people participated in the event. Organizers estimated about 35,000 -- still much fewer than the 70,000 they'd hoped for.

Participants came from as far away as South Korea. And many, such as Lynn Pocock and her two sons, took part in the human chain at last year's G-8 summit in Birmingham, England.

"Relieving the Third World debt would only cost two pounds a person for everyone in Britain," said Pocock, who lives in Worcestershire, England. "That's not very much, is it?"

Other musicians took part in the protest -- Bono's bandmate Edge, singer Bob Geldof, who founded the "Band Aid" charity, and Senegalese pop singer Youssou N'Dour -- but Bono was the star of the day.

As the chain was being formed, Bono stopped by a Rhine river section of the 7 kilometer (3.5 mile) protest loop around Cologne. He greeted demonstrators -- as well as a small group more interested in autographs than politics.

Church groups lined along a Rhine River bridge watched as about 30 fans mobbed Bono during his 10-minute appearance. Some clasped black magic markers to get signatures on T-shirts, CDs and U2 paraphernalia they brought.

"I think debt relief is good, but I don't know very much about it," admitted Tamara Dous, 22. "I'm here for Bono."

Posted by Jonathan at 06:01 AM | Comments (0)

March 26, 1996

Bono writes to the people of East Timor

East Timor is a tiny nation in South-East Asia (directly north of Australia) and it has been under strict Indonesian rule for several decades now. In the '70s, two Australian journalists reported the abuse East Timorese have suffered under Indonesian rule. They were shot dead by Indonesian-controlled soldiers. Several years ago, a crowd of East Timorese were gunned down by Indonesian troops. The Indonesian government to this day has not acknowledged these facts, nor apologised for them. The Australian government is too pathetic to demand justice, and the rest of the world..? East Timor is too small and holds no economic value for the rest of the world to care about. For every ten copies of a new benefit album, Love From A Short Distance, sold, an East Timorese orphan will gain an entire secondary education. The title of the album is taken from a letter Bono wrote to the East Timorese people, expressing his concern for their plight;

"There is no silence deep enough, no black-out dark enough, no corruption thick enough, no business deal big enough, no politicians bent enough, no heart hollow enough, no grave wide enough, to bury your story and keep it from us. ....Love from a short distance."

The words have been put to music by Australian techno act SOMA, and it appears on the album along with Billy Bragg, Yothu Yindi, Silverchair, Hecate, The Mavis', Painters And Dockers, and Vika And Linda Bull's version of "Set On Freedom", which is also on the Dalai Lama's benefit album.

Posted by Jonathan at 07:40 PM | Comments (0)

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