AFRICA - G8: “Greater justice is the only path for peace. We welcome the cancellation of debts and promise of more aid for development, but African leaders must vow to invest these resources for the good of their people” the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Democratic Congo told Fides

Kisangani (Fides Service)- “African nations have the right and the duty to request the cancellation of debts and we must not lose this breakthrough opportunity represented by the Plan put forward by British Premier Blair which aims for a more just economic order” said Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Democratic Congo, with regard to one of two items on the agenda for the G8 meeting in Gleneagles Scotland tomorrow July 6. The G8 is due to decide whether to double the amount of aid for poor countries and the 100% cancellation of debts promised for the 18 poorest countries in the world, mostly in Africa. The Euroepan Union has promised to bring its aid for development to 0.7% of the Gross National Product by 2015, compared with the present 0.39%, which will mean 20 billion Euro more every year from 2010, in addition to 46 billion already assisgned. The plan proposed by Mr Blair aims to bring aid to African countries from G8 countries from 50 to 100 billion dollars a year for the next 10 years.
“This is an imperative which concerns the whole of humanity not only Africa because as the Social Teaching of the Church affirms, social justice is the first condition for building peace” the Archbishop said. “I hope these heads of state and government of the world’s richest nations will heed indications given by both John Paul II and Benedict XVI to relieve the burden of Africa’s debts which infact have arleady been paid back”.
“Of course debt cancellation must be accompanised by better finance management on the part of African countries and it must not be an opportunity for our political leaders to accumulate riches, theymust make sure that the resources obtained are used to build schools, hospitals, roads and everything necessary to promote real development for our peoples” Archbishop Monsengwo Pasinya told Fides.
Yesterday 4 July 53 heads of state and government of African Union member countries met in Sirte in Libya. “With regard to the African Union summit I think African countries must insist on a permanent seat for Africa at the United Nations Security Council. The changed times of today call for a revision of international institutions which must take into account new situations which have arisen in recent decades” the Catholic Archbishop of Kisangani concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 5/7/2005 righe 38 parole 483)