|
 |
|
|
|
|
"He had a beautiful tenor: sweet and tremulous. The thing I really regret is not recording it." -- Bono, on his father, 2004 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"He had a beautiful tenor: sweet and tremulous. The thing I really regret is not recording it." -- Bono, on his father, 2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
Transcript: Bono and Paul Martin interview on CNN LIVE
CNN,
May 14, 2004
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: In the war on AIDS, the World Health Organization has what it calls the three by five initiative. It's a lofty goal to provide AIDS-fighting drugs to some three million infected people by the year 2005. But such an effort requires a lot of money. That's where rock star Bono and Canada's prime minister come in. CNN's Daryn Kagan spoke with both men about the health crusade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bono and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. Gentlemen, thanks for being with us. PAUL MARTIN, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Great to be here. KAGAN: Bono, about six months ago you showed up in Canada, promising in your own typical way, to be a pain in the you know what to this prime minister. (LAUGHTER) BONO, SINGER, ACTIVIST: Yes, well, you know, we were make some demands of the Canadian people and Prime Minister Martin's new administration. But, you know, the quid pro quo is the pain in the arse, if they don't do what we're asking. But we're here to give applause today because actually Canada has done some extraordinary things this week in dealing with the AIDS emergency. And I'm proud to be sit beside the man tonight. KAGAN: Mr. Prime Minister, tell us exactly the commitment that Canada is making to the global fund to fight AIDS. MARTIN: We doubled our commitment in terms of the global fund from last year. But in addition to that we just put $100 million into the World Health Organization's fund to essentially deal with roughly 50 percent of the 6 million people who are not receiving the AIDS cocktails that they require. And at the same time we're the first country to allow low-cost, generic drugs to be made available to Africa. This is a total package. And I've to say you're right about Bono's threat to be a pain. But I tell you, if that's the kind of pain that we're going to have to have, that's the kind of pain we'd like to have. KAGAN: When the call comes here in America to give overseas and to give to people who are fighting AIDS in Africa, Mr. Prime Minister, people often say there's enough to do at home. So how do you answer your own critics in Canada that say that that money should be staying domestically? MARTIN: We all live in different countries, but there is common humanity among us. And it's very, very hard, I certainly think for Canadians, for anybody in North America, to look at what's happening in Africa, to look at the decimation of societies and to look at the fact that there are more health care workers dying than that are being created. The same for teachers. It's very hard for anybody to turn their back on that. And that's why I think that people like Bono were able to really create a huge wave of support for this kind of thing, effectively, then make it possible for governments to act. And in fact make it impossible for governments not to act. KAGAN: So you've gotten your message across there in Canada, Bono. I understand you're planning some battleground states here in the U.S., trying to affect the U.S. presidential election. BONO: Well we're trying to elect our issues throughout this, really. The AIDS emergency and extreme poverty. And, you know, people are interested. They're not so cold. And they're cleverer than you think because these are dangerous times, it's a dangerous world. And, you know, in the southern hemisphere we are not, you know, always seen as a benign force in the world, in Europe and America and the United States and Canada. I think these AIDS drugs are great advertisements for what we do best, out ingenuity and our technological capacity. And I just think that the time, it's smart money. As well as being compassionate, it's just smart money. And we want to in the U.S. election just raise the bar for both President Bush and John Kerry. Both of whom have shown, you know, some far-thinking approaches on this issue. But both of them, you know, we want to go further. And, yes. So the 15 swing states we're going to have church folk, soccer moms, rock stars, God knows who turning up and being a pain in the arse -- which is what we do best. MARTIN: You know, your earlier question about what the effect on Canada. The fact is when Bono made his speech six months ago or when he and I worked on debt relief even earlier, what really is happening is that is reflecting Canadian values. This is not a difficult sell. In fact, Canadians are essentially asking their government -- and this may make it a lot easier for us -- they're asking our government to take a lead on this. KAGAN: Your fans would be mad with me, Bono, if I didn't ask when is the next U2 album coming out? BONO: You'll be very pleased or upset to hear that the U2 album is nearly finished. I had to sneak out and down the bathroom pole to get out over here today. But we'll be finished by the summer, single in September, album in October and November. And I can't tell you what it's called, but... KAGAN: Sure you can. BONO: ...it's a rock 'n' roll album. It's our first rock 'n' roll album. KAGAN: First rock 'n' roll album. Well, you know, we always love you to come on and talk about world health issues so dear to your heart. you're also going to have to come back and talk about the album when it comes out. Bono, thank you so much. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. Gentlemen, thanks for your time. Appreciate it. MARTIN: Thank you. BONO: Thank you. (END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: And Bono will be among the featured speakers Monday at the University of Pennsylvania commencement. Afterward you can call him Dr. Bono. He'll receive a honorary doctorate of laws degree from the university. © Cable News Network, 2004.
|
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
