PAUL SWEENEY,
Sir, - Philip Donnelly (July 29th) is, of course, right when he lays the blame for many of Africa's woes at the door of her despotic rulers.
But why this should result in the poor continuing to have to service the debt of their forefathers escapes me, particularly where debt relief goes hand in hand with political reform and investment in infrastructure.
His comparison of the debt burden of such countries to Ireland's in the 1980s is ill informed at best. For all Ireland's problems at that time, we still had an infrastructure that provided us with the staples: clean water; education; medical care.
We also received generous funding from the EEC. Can this be compared to the situation of a country devastated by war and natural disasters, where a majority of the population may be unemployed, where over a third are HIV positive with no available healthcare?
We in the first world must continue to accept our responsibility for Africa's woes. Western arms and military training are evident in many of Africa's wars, whether to promote our preferred political ideology or to ensure easy access to plunder her mineral resources. Those countries that do try to trade their way out of difficulty face the impenetrable trade barriers of the EU or US.
Mr Donnelly can probably rest assured, however, that after Ireland's recent U-turn on meeting the UN Overseas Development Aid target, any support for cancelling the debt will amount to lip service rather then action. - Yours, etc.,
PAUL SWEENEY, Castleknock Downs, Dublin 15.