Aid groups keep pressure on Blair

Tony Blair is pressing George Bush for concessions

Aid agencies are urging Tony Blair not to "cave in to US pressure" and weaken his relief plan for Africa.

During the UK Prime minister's trip to Washington US President George Bush is set to pledge $674m (£350m) to fight hunger in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

But aid groups called it a "drop in the ocean" that fell far short of UK plans for debt relief, aid and fairer trade.

Mr Blair, though, insisted there had been "significant progress" on those aims, and said the US would offer more.

"There are still issues we need to resolve, but I am increasingly hopeful we will get a good deal on that," he said in Washington on Tuesday.

To lower the ambition at this critical stage, would be seen by many as a betrayal of Africa Oxfam Saving the G8 summit Uphill struggle

"It is important we deal with the situation in Ethiopia and Eritrea, but obviously, there's a lot more that needs to be dealt with... the [Bush] administration itself has made clear that this is not the only commitment." Mr Bush's $674m is part of the US aid budget that had already been announced but had not yet been allocated to a country.

Mr Blair has said he wants rich countries to add to their existing contributions - and help raise an extra $25bn (£13.5bn) in African aid at the G8 summit Britain is hosting at Gleneagles, Scotland in July.

'Not pulling weight'

However Mr Blair recognises that the US will not support all of his ideas.

He told the Financial Times newspaper: "There are certain things we know they are not going to do, that we are not asking them to do."

Mr Blair has called Africa 'a scar on the world's conscience'

Mr Bush has already opposed plans set out by the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, to use an international finance facility to fund vaccinations - funded by borrowing on the bond market - saying he cannot commit the US to future debt repayments.

The US has also refused to agree to give 0.7% of its national income in international aid.

Washington's reluctance to join Mr Blair's crusade against poverty has angered some development experts.

"The US is not pulling its weight right now," said Professor Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute.

He said there was "a great myth in the US" that aid was ineffective because of inefficiency and corruption.

"It's a nonsense. Aid works - the problem is it's on such a small scale that it's not commensurate with the challenge," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

HAVE YOUR SAY I doubt that the richer nations will want to help Africa too much Michael, UK Send us your comments

Oxfam said Mr Blair "must not cave in to US pressure and water down proposals on aid, trade and debt... To lower the ambition at this critical stage, would be seen by many as a betrayal of Africa."

At a press conference on Tuesday evening Mr Bush and Mr Blair are also expected to make a joint announcement on climate change - another British priority for Gleneagles.

The two countries also have different approaches to that issue.

The US favours a technology-based solution to global warming over targets to curb greenhouse gases.

Mr Blair told the Financial Times he was not asking the US "to reverse [its] position on Kyoto. There's no way the Americans are going to do that."

But he said he was still hopeful of a breakthrough.