SAVE OUR WORLD

THOUSANDS of protesters converged on the Earth Summit yesterday demanding action to fight global poverty.

An estimated 10,000 people marched from a sprawling township to make their case to world leaders gathered in Johannesburg.

South African police in riot gear and soldiers with machine guns and armoured cars lined the streets to protect the delegates.

But the protests were trouble-free as many demonstrators danced and sang their way from the nearby township of Alexandra. They were demonstrating on a host of issues ranging from poverty, Aids and pollution to a potential war on Iraq and the conflict in Israel.

Fencing around the summit was topped with razor wire so no one could gain entry but a wooden platform was built nearby so campaigners could speak and be heard by the summit delegates.

Tony Blair flew in yesterday and will speak at the summit tomorrow, after touring a school and hospital in Mozambique today.

He is desperate to avoid Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe who arrived at the summit as food shortages continue to plague his country. Mr Blair had been urged by Tories to use the summit as a platform to denounce Mugabe's regime. But the PM said: "This summit is about the environment and it shouldn't be overshadowed, but the situation in that whole part of Africa is serious and our views on the government of Zimbabwe are clear."

The leaders have already become deadlocked on several key areas. But an upbeat Mr Blair said the summit should send a clear message that there must be "no backsliding" from agreed positions on the environment and sustainable development.

He said he was optimistic about the prospect of the UN-sponsored summit reaching agreement on the issues of fishing, education and sanitation. The PM said: "The issues here are really, really important and they will make a difference to the domestic policies of the countries involved. It's important that we send out a big signal from the summit that we are going to hold to the positions we have got. There shouldn't be any backsliding ."

Mr Blair defended his decision to spend just a day at the talks saying: "It's not going to benefit by my staying a few hours longer or not. This isn't a summit where we are all just arriving there, there has been work going on for months."

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