World leaders faced pressure from the United States to scale back goals for relieving African poverty and combating global warming.

　　But British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday he planned to keep campaigning for his ambitious objectives throughout the summit.

　　The leaders of the Group of Eight nations began arriving yesterday at the exclusive Gleneagles resort in Scotland for three days of discussions. Blair, as the host, was the first to arrive, coming from Singapore where he had engaged in a round of last-minute lobbying on London's successful bid to serve as host for the summer Olympics in 2012.

　　"You've got to be prepared to hold out for what is right," Blair said when asked about reports that Britain is preparing to scale back its demands on support for Africa and climate change in the face of US opposition.

　　Blair's comments came at a joint appearance with Bob Geldof, who organized the Live 8 concerts last weekend aimed at putting pressure on the G-8 leaders to do more to fight poverty and disease in Africa, and Irish rock star Bono.

　　"Three billion people are urging you to take it all the way," Geldof told Blair, referring to the number of people organizers have estimated attended or watched the weekend concerts on television.

　　US President George W. Bush arrived in Scotland aboard Air Force One a few hours before the summit was to begin with a dinner hosted by Queen Elizabeth.

　　Thousands of protesters took the streets in Auchterarder, a village near the resort. They were led by a bagpiper dressed in a traditional Scottish kilt and chanted "Power to the people."

　　Scottish police at first called off the march because they said public safety could not be guaranteed after 100 protesters smashed car windows, threw rocks and attempted to block one of the main roads leading to the resort. However, the police relented and allowed the march to proceed after organizers complained that their free speech rights were being denied.

　　Leaders' aides, meanwhile, met behind closed doors on the two issues Blair has made the main focus of this year's meeting - support for Africa, the globe's poorest continent, and increasing efforts to deal with the pollution that scientists believe is linked to planet warming.

　　Blair challenged G-8 countries to double aid to Africa from a current total of US$25 billion to US$50 billion by 2010 and to increase giving for all foreign aid to the equivalent of 0.7 percent of national incomes by 2015.

　　Bush, after initially resisting Blair's call, announced last Thursday that he would seek to double US aid by 2010, to US$8.6 billion. But Bush opposes the 0.7 percent target.

　　(The Associated Press)