GLENEAGLES, Scotland – French President Jacques Chirac (search) met with rock stars Bob Geldof (search) and Bono (search) at his hotel on Friday morning to discuss their efforts to relieve poverty in Africa.
Chirac told Geldof — who organized the Live 8 (search) concerts last weekend — and Bono that they were doing a terrific job of raising awareness for the issue, particularly among young people, said Chirac's spokesman, Jerome Bonnafont.
"It is a first step, modest but important because we open a door," he quoted the president as saying.
Chirac said Africa was still handicapped by economic stagnation and demography, with an increasingly large population of young people with poor prospects for their futures.
For this reason, it was important to find $50 billion in aid for Africa by 2010, Bonnafont quoted Chirac as saying.
One of the key objectives of British Prime Minister Tony Blair (search) for the G-8 summit (search) he is hosting is increasing aid to Africa.
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