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Bono Says Debt-Relief Campaign's Victories Not Enough
Posted on Saturday, April 28 @ 06:05:43 CEST by Macphisto
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(Sonicnet.com) -- U2 frontman pressing on with fight to have world's richest countries forgive debt owed by poorest nations.
U2's Bono is pressing on with his two-year-long battle for Third World debt relief, and he hopes to convince the White House and the American people to join the crusade, he said Friday.
During a press conference sponsored by the anti-poverty organization Results,
Bono said he hopes to appear with former South African president Nelson Mandela
on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to discuss the cause, which he described
as essential to easing the devastating impact of AIDS on Africa's poorest
nations.
The campaign to convince the world's richest countries to forgive all of the
debt owed them by some of the world's poorest countries originally known as Jubilee
2000 has so far succeeded in convincing the U.S. and other nations to
forgive some debt from 22 out of 41 targeted countries.
U.S. Congressman Spencer Bachus, a Republican from Alabama who supports debt
relief, credited Bono's extensive lobbying for much of the movement's success.
"Bono really breathed life into this whole movement. I can literally
say, and I'm convinced, that had he not been involved there would be millions of
children that would be dead in those countries today," Bachus said at the
press conference. "As a result of debt relief there are millions of
children that are attending schools today, there are millions of children that
receive vaccinations."
But Bono said he feels his efforts which have included a meeting with the
Pope, lobbying sessions with members of Congress and a speech to United Nations
representatives have so far been a failure.
"There is a scandal in that one of the widest movements for any issue
like this since the anti-Apartheid movement feels let down they feel after
all their campaigning they haven't achieved the results they're looking
for," he said.
Bono, who has met with members of President George W. Bush's administration,
said he has "an informed feeling" that Bush might make significant
progress toward 100 percent debt relief. In a presidential debate last year,
Bush said he supported debt forgiveness.
Meanwhile, Bono said, he and Live Aid founder Bob Geldof who also
participated in the conference will ponder how to best reach out to the
American people. "We're going to get to the heartland in some way on
this," Bono said.
The rocker spoke Friday from California during a day off from his band's
Elevation 2001 Tour, which hits Phoenix on Saturday.
Brian Hiatt
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