G8 Conference in Gleneagles

Launching their “G8 Communiqué: Priorities for Action” the Liberal Democrats have warned the leaders of the world's eight richest nations against limiting the Gleneagles Summit to “excuses for inaction and carefully honed presentations of warm words and sympathy”.

The Party’s Shadow International Development Secretary, Andrew George MP, said:

“The Make Poverty History and Live8 campaigns have raised expectations among the public for progress on poverty. The G8 should not be aiming to ‘manage’ those expectations but to meet them. 

"2005 should mark a turning point in a policy area which has witnessed a catalogue of false dawns since the Brandt Commission 25 years ago.

“We believe that the G8 would be better placed to make progress if representatives of the poorest countries were sitting at the same table and were fully involved. World summits should operate under the maxim:  ‘Not about them, without them’.

The G8 communiqué priorities document has been set out by the Liberal Democrats as a benchmark, against which to measure the success or otherwise, on key issues, of the Gleneagles summit, and aims to reflect the broad scope of problems facing developing countries. Commenting, Andrew George said:

“Aid and debt relief are essential, but so also is concerted action against corruption, to protect human rights, and to promote free and fair trade, if development is to be sustainable in the long-term.”    

Among other proposals, the Liberal Democrats want the G8 to seek a fresh UN Security Council mandate for the enforcement of peace in Darfur.