TONY BLAIR hailed G8 summit accords yesterday on doubling aid to Africa, climate change and help for the Palestinian Authority as proof that the politics of hope could defeat the hatred of terrorism.

As the summit in Gleneagles ended, an emotional Mr Blair stood in front of his fellow world leaders to contrast the meeting’s achievements with the “despair and hatred that terrorism sought to put in people’s hearts”.

He admitted that the summit’s agreement to increase aid to developing countries from $25 billion (£14 billion) to $50 billion by 2010, to seek the abolition of agricultural subsidies, and to provide universal access to Aids treatment would not change the world tomorrow or end African poverty. Nor would it have “the same ghastly impact as the cruelty of terror”, he said.

“But it has pride, hope and humanity at its heart. They can lift the shadow of terrorism and light the way to a better future. That is why the politics that we represent, not just as leaders here but the millions of people outside this summit who believe in progress through democracy, and decent collaboration between civilised human beings, will in the end win and triumph over terrorism.”

In an unusual move before flying back to London to chair another meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, the Prime Minister asked the leaders publicly to sign the communiqué as a demonstration of their commitment.

Thursday’s attacks in the capital resulted in a spontaneous display of unity at the summit, and appeared to have eased Mr Blair’s task in securing agreements about which some countries had earlier been doubtful. Germany dropped its objections to the doubling of the aid package and Japan made the final $2 billion-a-year contribution that achieved the $50 billion target.

The summit agreed that farm export subsidies should be ended but Mr Blair failed to get his preferred date of 2010 inserted in the communiqué. Later he predicted that it would be agreed in world trade negotiations by the end of the year.

Bob Geldof hailed the Africa package, saying that it would save ten million lives. “The world spoke and the politicans listened,” he said. Other campaigners were less kind. “The people have roared but the G8 has whispered,” Kumi Naidoo, chairman of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, said.

Mr Blair said that he was proud of what had been achieved on Africa. “We shall, not simply by this communiqué, make poverty history. But we show how it can be done and signify the political will to do it. If we implement this we will make poverty history.”

The G8 leaders, including President Bush, agreed to work with India and China and other emerging economies on a comprehensive action plan to combat global warming by slowing, stopping and finally reversing greenhouse gas emissions. But US opposition meant that the summit set no firm targets for cutting them.

Environmentalists said that they were “vastly disappointed”. Mr Blair admitted that the climate change deal was limited but said that it was to be welcomed. “If it is impossible to bring America into the consensus on tackling the issue . . . we will never ensure the huge emerging economies, who are going to consume more energy than any other part of the world, are part of the dialogue,” he said.

The big surprise from the summit was the announcement of $3 billion of aid to help the Palestinian Authority to improve its infrastructure after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza. Mr Blair had been working behind the scenes for several weeks to put a deal to the summit which he hoped would help “two peoples and two religions live side by side in peace”.

WHAT THE SUMMIT DECIDED

On Africa

Pledge to scrap US and EU agriculture subsidies. No date set

On climate change

Action plan for emerging economies to adopt clean energy technologies

On the Middle East

$3 billion to build Palestinian state infrastructure

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