Wolfowitz seeks reflected Bono glory. Paul Wolfowitz called Bono yesterday. The conversation was supposedly to gather views on poverty and debt relief. But Wolfowitz's camp has broadcast to the media the fact that a conversation took place and is seeking to gain some legitimation from that fact.

Wolfowitz evidently targeted Bono because there had been for a while a media frenzy about the possibility that the latter might become World Bank president. The U2 man would have certainly made a more popular choice than the US one.

It is not known whether Bono took his chance to re-express his views on the US approach to the Iraq war, led among others by Wolfowitz. Just before the war started Bono opined: "with the unimaginable levels of economic, cultural and military weight that the United States has, there must come humility and restraint. I'm all for President Bush trying to scare the sh-- out of Saddam Hussein, but you have to bring along the rest of the world. It is a mistake to go to war without the United Nations behind them, because that looks like the U.S. doesn't need to explain itself, and I think it does."

DATA - the campaign organisation established by the U2 singer to work with him on Africa issues commented vaguely to Reuters following yesterday's phone conversation with Wolfowitz that "Bono thought it was important that he put forward the issues that are critical to the World Bank, like debt cancellation, aid effectiveness and a real focus on poverty reduction". We will seek further clarification from them later.

Alex Wilks ~ March 18, 2005

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