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Bono, Treasury Secretary O'Neill Discuss Mission to Africa

Aired May 22, 2002 - 10:18   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Common goals can often forge uncommon alliances. Such is certainly the case with two partners on poverty. Irish pop singer Bono is traveling with Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill on a fact-finding mission aimed at boosting aid to Africa. First stop of the four-nation tour, the west African nation of Ghana.

CNN's Daryn Kagan is accompanying this odd couple.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: How does one of the biggest rock stars in the world end up traveling with the U.S. treasury secretary?

BONO, SINGER/ACTIVIST: I was invited by Secretary O'Neill. I think it is very daring and imaginative of him to have me on board and on this trip. I don't keep my room very tidy. I stay up late at night.

I like to think that what the secretary understands is that the scale of this problem on the continent of Africa is so huge that if we are to deal with it, we have to explain it to people before they can contribute.

PAUL O'NEILL, U.S. TREASURY SECRETARY: I agree with Bono that the problems that exist in the world, in Africa, with the AIDS problem, it's unforgivable for civilized people not to pay attention to and figure out a way to solve this problem.

KAGAN: You are very clear that you are not about a blank checkbook. What do you hope to show Bono on this trip?

O'NEILL: I'm hoping to show him that we should care even more broadly about this problem, not just one cause, but the cause of creating a world where every human being has the potential of realizing a great life and a life of making a contribution, instead of suffering and misery.

BONO: Secretary O'Neill is the tough guy. I don't think I can monkey him. OK? When it comes to guarding the American checkbook, I know he takes that job very seriously. But I know that over the next 10 days, I'm going to be able to make a case for increasing United States aid. I think post-9/11, there is a new mood in the world. The world has suddenly shrunk. The world has never been as interconnected as it is now. O'NEILL: Showcasing Africa is a way to bring an understanding to the rest of the people in the world so that we can mobilize resources and demand results and change the world.

BONO: I mean, this may sound, you know, grandiose, but I think you can allow a rock star to sound grandiose: I am sure that this time that we are living in will probably be remembered for three things: the Internet, what happened on September 11, and how a whole continent went up in flames while people stood around with watering cans. These are the issues of our time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Grandiose, very interesting. We'll have to let history be the judge on that.

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