Turkey's President Abdullah Gul on Monday called for increased international aid for the 48 poorest countries in the world. Without this it would be difficult to ensure prosperity and a lasting peace for the 900 million people in these countries, Gul said at the opening in Istanbul of the fourth UN Conference on Least-Developed Countries (LDCs). UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said emerging economies such as Brazil, China and India, had a role to play in supporting development in the LDCs. In an interview to UN Radio on Sunday, Ban said that while developed countries also faced the challenges of rising food prices and climate change, the LDCs didn't have the capacity and resources to address these global problems. Gul called for greater efforts to promote agriculture, education and to create conditions for investment, according to a report of the German Press Agency "DPA". In 1971, there were 25 countries in the group of least-developed countries. Today there are 45. "The gulf between these countries and the rest of the world is widening," said Gul. "To go on like this is not an option." More than 50 heads of state and 100 ministers were expected to attend the meeting, including representatives from countries that don't belong to the group of least-developed nations.
