SIRTE (Libya), July 5: African leaders urged the summit of rich nations opening in Britain on Wednesday to cancel debt owed by African governments, reform international trade and increase aid to fight poverty on the continent.

Heads of state of the African Union (AU), ending a two-day meeting in Libya, also pledged to step up efforts to end war and political instability and improve standards of governance to attract investment to the world’s poorest continent.

“We request the developed countries and development partners to expedite the process of total debt cancellation for Africa by the year 2007,” said a resolution issued on the eve of the summit of the Group of Eight countries in Scotland.

“We call on the international community to establish a fair and equitable trading system and to facilitate Africa’s access to fair markets through ... the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers ... and trade distorting subsidies and domestic support, especially in agriculture.”

Sub-Saharan Africa’s debt burden is estimated at about $230 billion, much of which was borrowed during the Cold War by military strongmen who misused it in many ways, including to prop up dictatorial rule, anti-poverty campaigners say.

African countries pay out about $39 billion per year in debt servicing.

The leaders delicately skirted around a call by their host, Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi, that they reject foreign aid extended under what he called humiliating conditions.

Mr Qadhafi, a wealthy force among poor African states, had told the leaders on Monday that the solution to Africa’s woes was the creation of one pan-continental country with one African passport and the appointment of federal ministers.

The leaders politely agreed to consider his ideas.

ROBUST, GLOBAL ACTION: The African gathering fully supported the recommendations of a UK-sponsored report prepared for the G8 summit.