EU Must Honor Africa Aid Commitments: EU Parliament Chief

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Africa | 28.10.2008

An African woman and her child stand under a large tree

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The EU's commitments to the people and climate of Africa must not be forgotten

European Union members must stick by their commitments to aid on Africa, irrespective of the global financial crisis, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering said Tuesday, Oct. 28.

"It would be completely immoral if we didn't stick to these promises. It is our duty to prevent this continent becoming separated from the rest of the world," Pottering told a media briefing in Johannesburg.

Compared with the several hundred billion dollars industrialized countries were ploughing into shoring up their banking systems, the amount needed to avoid hunger in the world - which he put at 30 billion euros ($37.5 billion) - was small change, he said.

On Monday, Pottering told the reopening of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, near Johannesburg, that the European Parliament would stand over the donor community to make sure it honoured its commitments on development aid.

He also called for the urgent implementation of Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement, which has been held up for over six weeks by squabbling over cabinet posts. A meeting of Southern African leaders Monday in Harare failed to end the deadlock.

DPA news agency (nda)

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