[Devils'Advocate]

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (CP) - One of the world's biggest rock stars tore a strip off Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday and accused him of blocking a meaningful deal on African aid at the G8 summit.
The leaders of the world's eight wealthiest democracies have pledged US$60 billion in aid to the world's poorest continent, but much of it consists of promises they've already made previously.
It was not the absence of new cash that most angered anti-poverty activists, but a failure to produce clear targets for the world to judge whether individual countries are keeping their aid promises.
Bono, lead singer for U2 and activist for humanitarian aid, singled out Harper for criticism and accused the prime minister of blocking a deal - a charge Harper vehemently denied.
"It's completely false and the people saying this have no proof to their allegations," Harper said at a news conference as the summit ended in Germany.
But Bono said he had numerous sources at the negotiating table. "It's as if we have the place bugged, because everybody tells us," he said.
"We know who's causing the trouble and who isn't. And we know that Canada blocked progress. We know that Harper blocked it."
He described the prime minister as out of step with Canadians who enjoy a prosperous economy and surplus public finances and would like to help others.
Harper has said he's a U2 fan but he's not at the summit to meet celebrities. His office did not respond to a phone call from Bono seeking a meeting to discuss aid for Africa. Later, it was explained that the prime minister could meet Bono at another time.
Bono said he doesn't believe the prime minister was too busy to meet with him at the summit - the leaders of the United States, Germany, France and Britain managed to do so.
"It's not the pop stars he doesn't want to meet. It's the movement that we represent," Bono said.

Rest of the article can be found here:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/20...244332-ap.html