MONTERREY (voa) – President Bush flies to Monterrey, Mexico, later Thursday to attend a U.N. development summit on ways to reduce the gap between rich and poor countries.
Mr. Bush will join 50 other heads of state at the gathering. Since Monday, scores of lower-level politicians and businessmen have been holding preparatory talks, discussing debt relief and ways to boost economic growth and strengthen programs to help poor nations.
In advance of the summit, the Bush administration announced it is boosting U.S. foreign aid. Administration officials now say U.S. assistance will increase by 50 percent in the coming years, raising development aid to 15 billion dollars by 2006. President Bush says the increase is a sign of the U-S commitment to worldwide development.
He says the increased aid will go to nations that implement economic and political reforms. The European Union also has pledged to increase aid to developing countries.
On Tuesday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan cautioned that a boost of $50-billion a year in worldwide development aid is needed to have any real effect on global poverty. Mr. Annan also called on developing countries to fight corruption, uphold the rule of law and protect human rights.
National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice says the conference gives the president the opportunity to reiterate the U.S. commitment to development and aid.
The president is expected to meet jointly with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on border security and trade during the summit. President Bush is scheduled to address the gathering Friday morning.
