Bono brought his campaign for debt relief for developing countries to the US State Department tonight, where he had a meeting with Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell.
Bono and Mr Powell also talked about Africa and AIDS, two other humanitarian concerns of the U2 lead singer, State Department spokesman Mr Richard Boucher said.
Mr Powell told Bono he was glad the singer was using his fame to work on something good, a State Department official added. Bono replied, 'Our audience is smart and aware.'
"A lot of individuals in the private sector, coming from a lot of different backgrounds have been very important to some of these issues and we listen to these people. ... We're in a new age, a democratic age when there are a lot of players besides the government," said Mr Boucher.
Mr Powell, who was about to go to the White House for an Irish event, learned from Bono the correct pronunciation of taoiseach.
Last year, Bono played a part in persuading the United States to provide $435 million in debt relief to some of the world's most indebted poor.