| Chirac urges doubling of aid for African development(AFP)
 Updated: 2005-12-05 09:12
 
 French President Jacques Chirac urged rich countries to double development 
aid, as African leaders warned tackling poverty was crucial to stem a growing 
tide of illegal immigration. 
 Chirac, keen to stress France was a "tireless" advocate of Africa, said at a 
two-day summit in Bamako that the continent was on the right track but 
progress was too slow. 
 Economic growth of five percent is "good but not enough to fight poverty", he 
said, as the talks with 25 African heads of state wrapped up. 
 
 
 
 "We must, roughly, double and bring to 150 billion (dollars) a year public 
assistance for development," he told reporters.
 |  French President Jacques Chirac (L), Malian 
 President Amadou Toumani Toure (C) and the sprokesperson of the African 
 youth Marie Tmoifo Nkom (R) give the closing news conference of the 
 Franco-African summit, in Bamako.[AFP]
 |  With crunch trade talks looming in Hong Kong, France and African countries 
demanded in their final communique that Africa's most pressing development 
issues be taken into account. 
 The December 13-18 ministerial trade gathering will seek an accord enabling a 
global trade liberalisation pact to take effect next year. 
 But the four-year round has largely stalled over the degree to which rich 
countries offer financial support to their agriculture sectors. France is the 
biggest beneficiary of European Union farm subsidies. 
 At the same time, the Franco-African summit warned against some developments 
in world trade that are "too liberal", Chirac told reporters. 
 
 
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