Bono has said he believes President Bush now recognises the importance of aid for developing countries.
The U2 frontman was speaking before leaving Pretoria in South Africa for the next stage of his four nation African tour with the US Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill.
In an exclusive interview with RTE, Bono said he was optimistic of improvements in foreign aid to developing countries but it would be a little longer before there was a historic initiative on AIDS.
He said if the people really believed that African lives were as valuable as their own, then foreign aid for poorer nations would not be decreasing and these countries would not be denied access to life-saving medicines.
Bono told RTE the next phase of his involvement in the non-governmental area of humanitarian relief would be in convincing world leaders that AIDS is a global emergency.
