The prime minister has convened a "summit" of African leaders to consider how to deal with the HIV crisis affecting some of the continent's poorest nations.

Tony Blair met with the leaders of countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Senegal, Botswana and Mozambique on Tuesday, for what was billed by Downing Street as a "get to know you" session of like-minded countries.

"The objective is to get together with a group of 'modern-thinking' African leaders in what will largely be a brain-storming session," a Foreign Office spokesman said.

Despite events in the US overshadowing the meeting, Tony Blair focused on issues including debt repayment and the HIV crisis which is scarring the African continent.

Joining him was the international development secretary, Clare Short and Baroness Amos, the minister for Africa and the prime minister's representative on the G8 Africa group. Significantly Gordon Brown - who has made cutting third world debt a priority of his chancellorship - was not at the summit.

The meeting comes amid fresh fears that Africa's recent economic advances could be reversed by the Aids epidemic.

The creation of strategy for conflict prevention in sub-Saharan Africa, following the events seen in Sierra Leone, was also on the agenda.

Tony Blair, who has signalled that Africa will be a major policy priority for his second term, is expected to visit Africa in the next three months.

The prime minister was a keen advocate of the Africa plan at the G8 Summit in July. "It gives us the best opportunity literally for generations, of giving Africa the hope and opportunity it needs for the future," he said at the time.

The next major G8 meeting concerning Africa will come next year when the G8 action group reports back to the Canada summit.