Mandela demands freedom from poverty

[XXPANTHAXX]

Posted Thu, 03 Feb 2005

Former president Nelson Mandela on Thursday demanded freedom
for the millions of "slaves" of poverty worldwide, on the eve
of a meeting in London of the world's richest nations.

"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural," Mandela
told a cheering crowd at London's Trafalgar Square before
meeting the finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7)
industrialised nations on Friday.

Poverty is not about charity

"It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the
actions of human beings. And overcoming poverty is not a
gesture of charity. It is an act of justice," Mandela said.

During the rally, the 86-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner
endorsed the 'Make Poverty History' coalition, which seeks to
pressure world leaders into fulfilling promises to increase
aid for the poor, improve trade justice and provide further
debt relief.

He urged action from the gathering of G8 leaders in Scotland
in July, during the rally in Trafalgar Square, the scene of
many anti-apartheid demonstrations in the 1970s and 1980s.

Poverty "the scourge of our time"

"It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right
to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists there is
no true freedom," Mandela said.

Mandela, who visited British finance minister Gordon Brown on
Wednesday, described massive poverty and obscene inequality
as the "terrible scourges of our times".

And this is unforgivable in an age when the world boasts
breathtaking advances in science, technology, industry and
wealth, he said.

"They have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social
evil," he said.

No more false promises — Oxfam

Adrian Lovett, of British charity Oxfam, part of the 'Make
Poverty History' coalition, said: "Mandela's presence in
London sends a clear signal from one of the world's greatest
heroes that 2005 is the year when we strike a huge blow
against world poverty.

"His presence is not only a rallying cry to the public to get
involved, but serves notice to rich countries that the world
will not put up with false promises, delays and hollow
soundbites."

'Make Poverty History' is hoping the G7 meeting will work
towards cutting the debts of developing countries.

The coalition groups charities, religious groups, trade
unions and celebrities, including the likes of Irish singer
and debt campaigner Bono, US actress Scarlett Johansson and
supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

AFP


Mandela tells rich nations to cancel African debt

This is the print version of story
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems.../s1296642.htm]

Saturday, February 5, 2005. 1:47pm (AEDT)

Mandela tells rich nations to cancel African debt
Former South African president Nelson Mandela has called on
rich countries to cancel all the debts that African countries
owe them, ahead of a G7 meeting.

The Nobel Prize-winning activist made the call in a stirring
address to finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7)
industrialised nations, who are meeting in London.

"Africa cannot have economic stability until you provide 100
per cent debt relief and you have the ability to do that
today," he said.

"So I urge you to end tonight, to not delay while poor people
continue to suffer."

The call comes as G7 finance ministers begin discussing
proposals to boost aid and debt relief for the developing
world.

The meeting is being chaired by the British Chancellor of the
Exchequer, Gordon Brown, who hopes the discussions will lead
to decisions being taken at a summit of the Group of Eight,
which brings in Russia.

His most controversial proposal is for the rich countries to
double their aid to poor countries over the next 10 years,
borrowing the money on the financial markets.

Mr Brown says he is not going to let it drop.

"In 1997 when I started, and it's seven years ago as
Chancellor, people said debt relief was impossible and we got
bilateral debt relief at 100 per cent by 1999, and I continue
to say that what we're proposing now will happen," he said.

-BBC


business.iafrica.com

BEE group gets 25% of Deutsche Bank

Posted Thu, 03 Feb 2005

Deutsche Bank has sold a 25 percent share in its South
African operations to Uthajiri (which is Swahili for wealth)
and its black staff.

Uthajiri will take a 15 percent stake while the remaining ten
percent will be held by an employees' share trust called
Deutsche Bank Black Empowerment Share Trust.

The beneficiaries of the trust are all black staff currently
working for Deutsche Bank South Africa. They comprise 39 of
the total staff complement.

Deutsche Bank and the Uthajiri shareholders will fund the
purchase of the 25 percent.

Uthajiri will have three senior executives working for the
Deutsche Bank in South Africa.

Rakesh Garach will become Chief Operating Officer and will
sit on the Deutsche Bank South African Executive Committee.

Uthajiri was established in 2003 with the aim of being a
leading empowerment partner in the financial services and
information, communications and technology sectors.

Uthajiri is led by Advocate Dali Mpofu, who is also Group
Executive Director, Corporate Affairs of the Altron Group.

I-Net Bridge


Mandela calls for poverty relief

Former South African president Nelson Mandela called on the
world's richest nations on Friday to give more aid to the
world's poorest countries to help them out ofa mire of
poverty and debt and strongly backed a British relief plan.

Mandela, who was invited to a meeting of finance ministers
and central bank chiefs of the G7 wealthiest countries, told
the finance chiefs of G7 ahead of a meeting in London that
rich nations were able now to write of Africa's debt.

"We are here to claim justice," the frail 86-year-old told
the G7 ministers. "Do not delay while poor people continue to
suffer," he said, demanding a full write-off of African debt
and 50 billionUS dollars extra a year in aid for the next
decade.

"I urge you to act tonight," Mandela said.

He said he would accept no half measures. It was an outrage
to let Africa sink further into disease and poverty.
Mandela urged the seven countries "do not delay while poor
people continue to suffer."

Earlier Friday, John Taylor, US Treasury Under Secretary,
rejected Brown's plan for what he calls an International
Finance Facility (IFF) that would double existing aid by
using rich countries' guarantees to raise money by issuing
bonds in the capital markets.

He said the British plan was incompatible with US budgetary
rules.

Italian Economy Minister Domenico Siniscalco also said in an
interview with Reuters that he appreciated Britain's plan to
cancel the debt of the world's poorest countries and open an
International Financing Facility, but the proposals lack
sufficient backing to pass here.

"If I can be brutal, I agree with Britain's proposal, but the
problem here is we need to act now...this evening I will
propose that we adopt the IFF on a smaller scale," he said
adding that he would propose something more modest.

German Finance Minister Hans Eichel said it would be better
to start with something less ambitious even though he backed
the British idea.

British officials put on a brave face on the reluctance to
stump up so much money so fast, something many say is the
only way to meet a UN goal of halving world poverty by 2015.
Brown is hoping he would get support for his plan at the
meeting of G-7 finance ministers.

Earlier this week, Brown said in an interview with The
Guardian that he would be trying "to persuade America that
debt relief and extra finance for development is in its
interests not just because it is good economics and social
policy but good for its security as well."

He also said that "if the US wants to separate the extremists
from those that they are trying to influence, it makes good
sense to show how industrial nations can implement a Marshall
Plan for developing countries".

Brown said the issue is a key priority for Britain's
presidencyof the Group of Eight industrialized nations.

The G7 includes the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain,
France, Italy and Canada.

Source: Xinhua
People's Daily Online --- http://english.people.com.cn/