DOCTORS yesterday gave Tony Blair the all-clear to fly to Ethiopia tonight for the second session of his Commission for Africa, just four days after undergoing heart treatment.
No 10 said the prime minister had been given medical permission to make the three-day visit but, intriguingly, said it was ''not aware'' if a doctor would be on hand during the trip.
Mr Blair's official spokesman said the prime minister looked ''fresh and alert'', stressing that he ''acts on doctor's advice'' and was fully fit for the trip.
The commission's talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, will help form a report for the G8 leaders of the world's richest nations when they meet next spring at Gleneagles, Perthshire. The report will look at issues from trade and aid to health, security and corruption.
Mr Blair and Gordon Brown, the chancellor, hope to use the UK's joint presidency of the G8 and EU next year to push Africa to the top of the international political agenda.
Sir Bob Geldof, the Band Aid star, will attend the Ethiopia talks 20 years after his appeal to tackle famine there raised (pounds) 90m. Mr Blair's spokesman said the session there would be ''workmanlike'', and would assess progress. Mr Blair will make a speech on world poverty and will be accompanied by Hilary Benn, the international development secretary.
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