G8 Foreign Ministers Gather in London as Tension Builds towards July Summit

Today in London, the G8 foreign ministers have gathered for crucial talks regarding Iran, the Middle East peace process and the situation in Afghanistan. Jack Straw is leading the talks, which come less than a month before the summit of G8 leaders in Gleneagles, Scotland.

The meetings, however, will have very different agendas. Today, the former head of the World Bank, James Wolfensohn, who is now a special envoy to the Middle East, will brief the ministers on developments in the region. In particular, Wolfensohn will attempt to make clear the current situation with the proposed Israeli pull-out from Gaza.

Mr Wolfensohn is expected to come with a proposal for the G8 to offer additional assistance.

At the meeting the ministers will also meet with the Afghan foreign minister, Abdullah Adbullah, to offer their support for the country’s elections in September.

Britain is set to take over the leadership of the international peace-keeping force in Afghanistan next year, and leaders have emphasised greatly the need for assistance in the region for the years to come. Although, assistance is desperate for the country, it has been stated that military assistance is not necessarily the assistance required.

One senior British official stated, "We do see our commitment to Afghanistan in terms of a decade or more, not in terms of a year or more."

With the G8 Summit fast approaching, the world’s Christian leaders have strongly backed the Make Poverty History campaign. This week the Evangelical Alliance UK (EAUK) together with 19 key evangelical leaders in Britain wrote a formal letter to President Bush, appealing for actions to be taken on world poverty.

The letter was published by the Public Affairs Department of the EAUK and signed by a number of illuminated names such Rev Dr Joel Edwards, Director of the EAUK; Rev Steve Chalke, Founder of Oasis Trust and Faithworks; Rev David Coffey, General Secretary of the Baptist Union; Rev Nicky Gumbel, Alpha Course Chaplain of the UK, Bishop of Liverpool James Jones and among others.

Two weeks ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced a debt relief deal for the world’s poorest countries after his meeting with President Bush. The G7 finance ministers have already agreed to completely write-off the debt to the World Bank and the African Development Bank for the poorest countries in the world. This is expected to save poor countries up to £1.1 billion a year.

In addition, to mark the importance of the G8 summit in on 6th July, Methodist Churches across the UK will give simultaneous services on the morning of Saturday 2nd July, a statement has announced.

The main Edinburgh service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday 2nd July at Methodist Central Hall. Other special services in churches across Britain will take place on the same morning as well.

Anthea Cox, Coordinating Secretary for Public Life and Social Justice, says "many people will make the journey to Edinburgh for the G8 events. But even more will not be able to, for many different reasons. So by holding the same service at churches across the country, we will all be able to join as one in celebrating our faith and raising our voices to support Make Poverty History."

These services will be open to all. The Methodist Church hopes that as many churches as possible will be involved and it also invited churches across the world to join in.

The world continues to focus its thoughts and actions on the G8 Summit, looking at it with its potential as a new time of hope for the African continent and the poorest nations around the world.