Cameron and Sarkozy plan Libya visit as G8 says Gaddafi must go

French president lets Benghazi plan slip at summit where leading countries will say Libyan ruler must step down

David Cameron and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, are planning a joint visit to Benghazi, the Libyan rebel stronghold, Sarkozy has disclosed.

He was speaking at press conference at the end of the G8 summit of rich western nations where all countries agreed that Muammar Gaddafi had lost legitimacy and must step down. The Russians agreed to back this decision but David Cameron rejected suggestions the Russians had offered to mediate towards Gaddafi's exit.

Cameron said only one message needed to get to Gaddafi: that it was time to go.

British sources would not confirm details of the planned trip to Benghazi and Cameron parried the question by saying: "Nicolas Sarkozy is full of good ideas."

Reflecting a hardening of the Russian line on Libya, the draft communique from the group of leading industrial nations ? due to be issued shortly ? goes further than merely stating there needs to be a negotiated settlement.

The statement from national leaders meeting in Deauville, France, will use unusually simple language to state: "Gaddafi and the Libyan government have failed to fulfil their responsibility to protect the Libyan population and have lost all legitimacy. He has no future in a free, democratic Libya. He must go."

It is due to add: "We welcome the work of the international criminal court in investigating crimes in Libya and note the chief prosecutor's request on 16 May for three arrest warrants."

If such language remains in the final communique, it will be seen as a victory for the Sarkozy and Cameron following their decision to provide ground attack helicopters for use by Nato.

The tough stance comes amid a hardening of the Russian position amid signs that the country's leaders have lost patience with Gaddafi and are willing to act as mediators to speed his exit from power.

The Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said: "Colonel Gaddafi has deprived himself of legitimacy with his actions, we should help him leave."

The communique also says: "We are committed to supporting a political transition that reflects the will of the Libyan people.

"We recall our strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Libya."

On other issues, the G8 leaders claim "the world economy is recovering" even if more needs to be done to reduce global imbalances and deficits.

The communique also discusses the role of the internet, nuclear safety after the Fukushima disaster and concedes that the G8 nations have collectively failed to meet their pledges on aid to Africa.

Regarding the internet, the communique treads a fine line between advocating governmental regulation and allowing so-called "wild west" free rein.

It states: "The effective protection of personal data and individual privacy on the internet is essential to earn users' trust.

"It is a matter for all stakeholders: the users who need to be better aware of their responsibility when placing personal data on the internet, the service providers who store and process this data, and governments and regulators who must ensure the effectiveness of this protection."

It adds: "We encourage the development of common approaches taking into account national legal frameworks, based on fundamental rights and that protect personal data, whilst allowing the legal transfer of data.

"We will also work towards developing an environment in which children can safely use the internet by improving children's internet literacy including risk awareness, and encouraging adequate parental controls consistent with the freedom of expression."

In response to the demands of internet companies to be left alone, the communique adds: "Flexibility and transparency have to be maintained in order to adapt to the fast pace of technological and business developments and uses. Governments have a key role to play in this model."

On the state of the world economy, the communique admits there are strong headwinds that could slow growth.

"The global recovery is gaining strength and is becoming more self-sustained. However, downside risks remain and internal and external imbalances are still a concern.

"The sharp increase in commodity prices and their excessive volatility pose a significant headwind to the recovery."

Both Europe and the US are asked to do more to address structural problems.

The communique says: "The United States will put in place a clear and credible medium-term fiscal consolidation framework, consistent with considerations of job creation and economic growth.

"In Japan, while providing resources for the reconstruction after the disaster, the authorities will also address the issue of sustainability of public finances.

The communique offers little progress on climate change but reasserts the now firm G8 position "to limit effectively the increase in global temperatures below 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels, consistent with science."

The bulk of detailed work on climate change now takes place in the context of the G20, allowing China, Brazil and India, the new carbon economies, to set out their demands.

In a step change for the G8 there is a frank admission of a collective failure to reach the aid targets set six years ago at Gleneagles.

It states: "In 2005, the OECD estimated that official development assistance (ODA) from the G8 and other donors to developing countries would increase by around $50bn (�30bn) by 2010 compared to 2004.

"There is a gap of $19bn in constant dollars or $1.27bn in current dollars, relative to OECD estimates for 2010."

The communique does claim that, despite this shortfall: "G8 aid has been increasing from $82.55bn to $89.25bn in current dollars between 2009 and 2010.

"This represents 70% of global overseas development assistance, which reached $128.73bn in 2010, representing a 7.27% increase in current dollars compared to 2009."

On transparency, an issue on which charities and aid groups have been pressing the G8 for years, there is a commitment to do more to spell out in detail how well the G8 is doing in meeting its pledges.

It states: "We will make further efforts on publishing information on allocations, expenditure and results. Information will be provided in accessible formats that deliver on the needs of partner countries and citizens."

Patrick Wintour

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