Political icon and South African former President Nelson Mandela on Saturday urged G8 leaders not to ignore the plight of millions on the continent of Africa, dpa reported. "I say to all those leaders do not look the other way, do not hesitate," he said before an audience of thousands at the Mary Fitzgerald Square in the city's new cultural precinct. Mandela, who spoke briefly before the final act, said the world had made breathtaking advances in technology and wealth accumulation yet millions of children were not in school and HIV/Aids threatened the social fabric of life in Africa. Leaders from the world's wealthiest nations who are due to meet in Gleneagles, Scotland next week had a "historical opportunity to open a door of hope" for Africans, he said. "Where poverty exists there is no true freedom," said the 86-year- old former long-term apartheid-era political prisoner and first democratic South African president. --More 2118 Local Time 1818 GMT
