London, March 11, SPA -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Fridaychallenged the world to help end the poverty, conflict anddisease plaguing Africa, as he launched a majorinternational report on how to ease the continent's woes. "There can be no excuse, no defense, no justification forthe plight of millions of our fellow beings in Africatoday. There should be nothing that stands in our way ofchanging it. That is the simple message from the reportpublished today," said Blair, unveiling the findings ofhis Africa Commission. The 400-page report calls on the international communityto immediately double foreign aid to Africa to US$50billion and make fighting AIDS a priority. It sets 100percent debt cancellation as a goal and urges rich nationsto drop trade barriers that hurt poor countries. It alsosays African leaders must move faster toward democracy,stamp out corruption and take other steps to improve howtheir countries are run. Blair hopes the report will be embraced around the worldas a blueprint for an African renaissance. He has madehelping Africa a key priority for Britain's presidencies ofboth the powerful Group of Eight wealthiest nations and theEuropean Union this year. "In a world where prosperity is increasing and morepeople sharing each year in this growing wealth, it is anobscenity that should haunt our daily thoughts that 4million children in Africa will die this year before theirfifth birthday," Blair added, calling for a newpartnership between the developing world and Africa "thatgoes beyond the old donor and recipient relationship."--SPA1249 Local Time 0949 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/245757