Celebs Thank Britain for Pledge of Aid

LONDON - More than a dozen celebrities, including Bono, Jude Law and Bob Geldof,
have signed an open letter thanking Prime Minister Tony Blair's government for
its promise to boost aid to poor countries.

"It's unfashionable to congratulate politicians in public but we're going to do
it anyway, to say thanks for increasing the funds available to tackle world
poverty now and for committing to reach the U.N. aid-giving target by 2013 at
the latest," said the letter, published in Monday's Independent newspaper.

"Thousands of people campaigned, and you responded, and lives in the poorest
parts of the world will be transformed as a result," it said.

Treasury Chief Gordon Brown announced last month that Britain would increase
development aid to 6.5 billion pounds (US$11.7 billion), or 0.47 percent of
national income, by 2007. He said that by 2013 the country plans to meet a
United Nations target of giving 0.7 percent of gross domestic product to aid
poorer countries.

The letter said the commitment could bring clean water to 14 million people,
educate 2 million children or avert the premature deaths of up to 250,000
infants.

Britain has said tackling world poverty will be one of its key goals when it
holds the rotating presidencies of the European Union and the G8 group of
wealthy countries next year.

Others signing the letter included Chris Martin of the band Coldplay, actresses
Minnie Driver and Helen Mirren, actors Roger Moore, Colin Firth and Joseph
Fiennes, "Love Actually" writer-director Richard Curtis and Anita Roddick,
founder of the Body Shop cosmetics chain.