Harper Sets Priorities

Meet Bono? I'm not interested, says Canada's PM

HEILIGENDAMM, Germany (Reuters) - You can stop staring hopefully at that phone, Bono. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not be calling.

The Irish rock star turned poverty activist met U.S. President George W. Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of a Group of Eight summit but was told Harper was too busy to talk to him.

Harper, a somewhat wooden figure regularly mocked for his lack of flair, told reporters on Thursday that meeting Bono was not a priority.

"I've got to say that meeting celebrities isn't kind of my shtick, that was the shtick of the previous guy," said Harper in a dig at his Liberal predecessor Paul Martin, who met Bono regularly.

"I hope we do it at some point but my principle focus in public policies is not kind of to meet celebrities," added the prime minister, a Conservative.

Activists say Canada is trying to block a deal to ensure that western nations live up to promises to boost aid to Africa.

PM sounds the right note in rejecting Bono's expertise on foreign policy

There is no reason to doubt that Paul Hewson (aka Bono), the leader of Irish rock band U2, is sincere in his efforts to raise international aid for Africa. While other celebrities are partying, driving drunk, doing jail time, uttering racist remarks or making abusive phone calls to their children, Bono is acting as an unpaid lobbyist for the poorest continent on earth