Live 8 shows will pressure leaders, say leaders

African leaders feel that the celebrity-packed Live 8 concerts will help focus on the July summit to take action against poverty.

The celebrity-packed Live 8 concerts will help pressure world leaders gathered for a July summit to take action against African poverty, British Treasury chief Gordon Brown said today.

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Brown, who has pushed hard to make boosting African development a priority for Britain, said he welcomed concert organisers' call for people to protest in Edinburgh, Scotland, near the Gleneagles summit of leaders of the G8 group of wealthy nations.

Britain has made aiding Africa a top priority of its year-long chairmanship of the G8.

The organisers of the 1985 Live Aid concerts this week announced July 2 shows in London, Philadelphia, Paris, Berlin and Rome. Acts including Madonna, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Brian Wilson are slated to take part.

"We want to get some big decision out of the Gleneagles summit, that people can say 'Look, what we have done has some enduring purpose, it's going to change the world, it is going to make it better," Brown told Britain's GMTV.

"And the music and the action and the Live Aid events and the wristbands that are being worn, all the action that is being taken ... Is going to have that purpose," he said. "We want the British people to play their part in persuading (G8 leaders) that this is the time, this is the opportunity to take action to deal with the problems of world poverty."

Brown is widely considered Prime Minister Tony Blair's most likely successor.