Saturday, July 9 2005 12:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Gleneagles (Scotland): In the shadow of terrorist attacks on London, leaders of eight industrialised nations yesterday (July 8, 2005) wound up their summit agreeing to boost Africa aid by US $50 billion and provide Palestine with US $3billion, but differences remained over ways to tackle climate change due to US opposition to any time bound solutions.

"We spoke yesterday (July 8, 2005) in the shadow of terrorism, but it will not obscure what we came to Gleneagles to achieve," British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the G8 summit host, said at the close of the three-day meet, attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a special invitee.

African aid boost announced by UK, US, Russia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan "Isn't all everyone wanted, but it is progress," Blair said as the summit closed earlier than scheduled in the aftermath of yesterday's (July 7, 2005) terror attacks in London that killed at least 50.

"All of this does not change the world today (July 9, 2005) it is a beginning, not an end. None of this yesterday (July 8, 2005) will match the same ghastly impact of the cruelty of terror," he added.

The package for the Palestinian Authority, amounting to up to US $3 billion, will be given in the years to come, so that Israel and Palestine can live side by side in peace.

Though Blair claimed the G-8 and special invitees China, Brazil, India, Brazil and South Africa had agreed to work together to deal with global warming, US adamance seemed to be winning as the summit is to adopt a watered-down declaration avoiding any concrete steps like setting targets or timetables for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Blair said "If it is impossible to bring America into the consensus on climate change, we will never ensure the huge emerging economies like China and India are part of the dialogue."