A NORTH-EAST charity worker is flying to France to urge world leaders to declare war on poverty instead of war on terror.

Oxfam's Newcastle and North-East campaigner, Kim Tan, flies to Evian today on the trail of world leaders, including Tony Blair, for the G8 summit.

He said: "I am going to represent Oxfam supporters and people across the North-East who feel that the resources and commitment the UK and US showed in the war on Iraq should be used to tackle poverty, especially in Africa.

"African leaders have attended the last two G8 meetings in Italy and Canada, but have been sent home empty handed.

"Millions of people are trapped in poverty because of the actions of the world's richest countries. If the G8 care, it's about time they did something about it."

He will attend an alternative G8 Summit for Another World, until Saturday, then join a protest outside the summit on Sunday.