6-G8's 60 bln dollars AIDS and Africa pledge criticised

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 8 (Reuters) World powers today pledged billion to fight AIDS and other diseases ravaging Africa but development campaigners complained the Group of Eight had offered little fresh cash for the poor.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting G8 leaders and heads of five African states, trumpeted the agreement as a showpiece achievement of the three-day summit, along with yesterday's deal to push for greenhouse gas emissions cuts.

''We are conscious of our obligations and want to fulfil the promises we made. And we will do that,'' said Merkel. ''We also gave a push to the fight against AIDS,'' she told reporters.

Campaigners complain that rich nations have fallen behind on commitments made to double development aid at a summit in 2005 in Gleneagles, Scotland and were unimpressed with today's deal, which restated those pledges.

G8 leaders said they would provide at least 60 billion dollars to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, global diseases that have devastated African countries and their economies.

But the declaration set no specific timetable, saying the money would flow ''over the coming years''. Neither did it break down individual countries' contributions or spell out how much of the sum had been previously promised.

''I am exasperated,'' Irish rock star and anti-poverty campaigner Bono told Reuters. ''I think it is deliberately the language of obfuscation. It is deliberately misleading.'' Even G8 member Canada was critical.

''The projection is based on an extrapolation into the future of existing funding ... and includes bilateral initiatives and multilateral channels,'' said a senior Canadian official.

US President George W Bush last week announced plans to double Washington's financial commitment to the anti-AIDS fight to 30 billion dollars over five years, which was included in the G8's headline figure of 60 billion dollars.

Bush missed some of the morning sessions at the summit because of a stomach ailment but rejoined the leaders later.

On the last day of the summit, leaders made no progress on the future of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo but threatened tough measures against Iran and Sudan and called for a swift conclusion to world trade talks.

FALLING SHORT Reaction from Africa to the G8 deal was lukewarm.

Nahmla Mniki of African Monitor, a body set up to track the Gleneagles goals, said promises had been broken.

''We want to see an expression of political will through action. We see promises, we see pledges, but these are general statements that are not legally binding and cannot be traced down to actual disbursements,'' said Mniki.

Aid aid agency Oxfam said the G8 will fall far short of its Gleneagles pledges.

''We must not be distracted by big numbers. What the 60 billion dollars headline means at best is just 3 billion dollars extra in aid by 2010,'' said an Oxfam policy adviser.

Leaders also reiterated an overall pledge made in 2005 to raise annual aid levels by 50 billion dollars by 2010, 25 billion dollars of which is for Africa.

''It cannot be the aim of every G8 summit to set new financial goals, no one was asking us for that. This is about implementation and what people get from the money,'' said Merkel who plans an official visit to Africa in October.

KOSOVO DEADLOCK Major powers were deadlocked on a compromise on the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo with Russia resisting a French plan to delay a UN vote on its independence in exchange for recognising that Belgrade must give up its claim eventually.

Russia backs Belgrade's refusal to give up sovereignty and has threatened to veto a Security Council vote. The West thinks Kosovo's independence is inevitable and says delays may stoke violence in the Albanian-dominated province.

Leaders also threatened ''further measures'' -- or more UN sanctions -- against Iran if it continues to reject UN demands to halt uranium enrichment in its nuclear programme.

G8 leaders at the summit agreed on Thursday to pursue ''substantial'' cuts in greenhouse gases to combat global warming.

REUTERS SBC RK2230