c. 2000 Religion News Service
WASHINGTON _ A day after one of the world’s major global lending institutions promised to speed up debt relief for the world’s poorest nations,religious leaders, politicians and rock musician Bono gathered at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday (Sept. 21) to urge Congress to do the same.
“Congress now holds the fate of debt relief for poor countries in its hands,” Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers told a news conference organized by Jubilee 2000 USA, a coalition of church groups and non-governmental organizations. “The richest, most powerful country should not stand for collecting debts in a country where 1/5 of the population has only $5 per person to live on.”
Summers joined such speakers as Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and the Rev. David Beckman, president of Bread for the World, in calling on Congress to fulfill its commitment to an agreement made last year among wealthy countries to provide debt relief for some two dozen of the world’s poorest nations.
Under the agreement, the United States promised to contribute roughly $435 million to the effort for the years 2000 and 2001. But Congress has yet to approve funding.
With just weeks remaining in the current session of Congress, members should realize “now is the time for our nation to take the lead in debt relief,” said Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, R-N.Y., chairman of the House International Relations Committee.
“In this time of unparalleled prosperity our country can and should do more to help the world’s poor,” said Gilman. “The cost to us is 3/100 of 1 percent of our entire federal budget. If our nation fails to lead this effort other countries surely will follow our example and it will be worse for the world’s poor.”
Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., urged his fellow legislators to consider the impact of further delay in approving debt relief funds.
“Fifteen thousand people died last night as we massaged the technical words in this bill,” said Bachus. “Tens of thousands are dying every day because this effort is stalled on Capitol Hill.”
Approving funds now would be “a historic act of grace,” said Bono, of the rock group U2.
“This is an idea you can’t argue against,” said Bono, who earlier this month personally delivered to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan a pro-debt relief petition signed by more than 2 million people. “We are looking at a historic act of grace that could give a billion people a fresh start. That’s something to remember the millennial year by.”
DEA END DANCY
