Italy Pledges Support for Blair's G8 Agenda on Africa

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has commenced his first foreign trip since his re-election by meeting Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi in Rome.

The main topic of their talk was aid for Africa and climate change. The meeting was Blair's first raw meeting with the main European leaders, as he goes about rallying support for his G8 agenda.

Talks with the Italian Premier proved to be successful and Tony Blair will now continue with talks in Moscow, Washington, Paris and Berlin, all before the G8 summit commences in July.

Mr. Berlusconi commented on the meeting with Blair: "I have assured Mr Blair of my personal support and my country's support in favour of what I know is going to be a very reasonable, sound and viable set of proposals."

Tony Blair said after the meeting that it was held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere. Later on he again emphasised the importance of action in the matter of Africa.

"What's happening in Africa today is something that if it happened in any other continent in the world, there would be outrage...and there would be immense, sustained pressure on world leaders to act."

According to his statement, if Africa's problem is left unresolved, it will be not just morally wrong, but it would also affect the world's society as a whole.

Britain as the chair country of this year's meeting of G8 nations, and Tony Blair as the Prime Minister is in the position to persuade the countries of G8 to support aid for the African continent.

Several further meetings concerning help to Africa are also scheduled to take place, and will be held even before the G8 summit itself begins. A meeting of G7 finance ministers is scheduled for next weekend and an action plan for Africa is expected to be set up during the economic forum in Cape Town next Wednesday.