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North Africa and Middle East dominate G8 talks

G8 nations meeting in Deauville, France have agreed to help develop democracies in the Middle East and North Africa and will help populations in the region achieve greater freedom.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Speaking at the end of the G8 Summit, Prime Minister David Cameron said:

We will help you build your economies and develop the political parties, free media, and the fair and reliable courts that are the building blocks of what I call an open society.

Mr Cameron added that every G8 country now stands ready to open its markets to countries in the region committed to reform.

On the issue of aid to developing nations, the PM said that the UK will be the first G8 country to hit the target of delivering 0.7 per cent of GDP as aid by 2015.

He said that Britain will keep its promises on aid and he has pushed other G8 countries to fulfill their commitments.

On Libya, the PM said the G8 nations had reached a unanimous and final verdict on Qadhafi and his regime. 

He said that every G8 nation had signed up to the communique which states that Qadhafi has “lost all legitimacy. He has no future in a free, democratic Libya. He must go.”

The predominant focus for the G8 Summit in France has been developments in North Africa and the Middle East but leaders also discussed such issues as climate change and the internet.

In addition to the multilateral sessions which produced the communique, Mr Cameron also held bilateral meetings with President Medvedev of Russia, Prime Minister Harper of Canada and Prime Minister Kan of Japan.

Published 27 May 2011