Brussels, 08/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - At Heiligendamm, the G8 allocated $60 billion (€44 billion) to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, with most of this funding going to Africa. The G8 also assured its African partners that the promises made at Gleneagles last year would be “kept” - the term used by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is chairing the meeting. African Union (AU) President John Kuofor responded by saying African countries were ready to work for democracy and good governance and to undertake a genuine partnership on these issues.
On Darfur, the G8 leaders said they were determined to find a political solution to this crisis. To this end, France proposed to host an international conference in Paris on 25 June, to consider all sides of the crisis - humanitarian, security and political. The G8 leaders, ready to help AMIS in the rapid transition towards a hybrid UN/AU force, called on the Sudanese authorities to seize the opportunity of the visit of the Security Council to Khartoum on 17 June to agree to the deployment of such a force. If Khartoum or the rebels continued to fail to meet their obligations, the G8 said it was ready to support Security Council sanctions. (an)