Bush Pushes South African in Fighting AIDS

PRETORIA, South Africa, July 9 President Bush today brought the promise of more money for fighting AIDS to South Africa, which has been slow to attack the disease, and he pressed President Thabo Mbeki to deal with the epidemic more effectively.

PRETORIA, South Africa, July 9 President Bush today brought the promise of more money for fighting AIDS to South Africa, which has been slow to attack the disease, and he pressed President Thabo Mbeki to deal with the epidemic more effectively.On the second day of his five-day trip to Africa, Mr. Bush urged the South African leader, who has expressed doubt about the link between HIV and AIDS and raised questions about the effectiveness of the drug treatment that has become standard, to come up with a plan that includes both the drug regimen and prevention efforts.AIDS was one of two issues in which the two leaders stepped gingerly around each other during a morning of meetings here. The other was the future of Zimbabwe, which is becoming unstable under President Robert Mugabe.South Africa has 4.7 million people with H.I.V., one of the largest infected populations in the world, but Mr. Mbeki’s government has not yet made life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs widely available. Advocacy groups have long demanded that Mr. Mbeki drop what they consider to be his incomprehensible reluctance to deal aggressively with the problem.White House officials played down the differences between Mr. Bush and Mr. Mbeki on AIDS. But they made clear that the United States would use the leverage of its offer to include South Africa in the first round of countries to benefit from the $15 billion AIDS-fighting package Mr. Bush proposed in January to prod Mr. Mbeki to move faster to bring all available weapons to bear.”We need a common-sense strategy to make sure that the money is well spent,” Mr. Bush said at a news conference with Mr. Mbeki. “And the definition of well spent means lives are saved, which means good treatment programs, good prevention programs, good programs to develop health infrastructures in remote parts of different countries so that we can actually get antiretroviral drugs to those who need help.”On Zimbabwe, the Bush administration has called for a change of government, and with Mr. Mugabe turning increasingly autocratic, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell urged South Africa last month to use its influence to bring about a resolution of the issue. But Mr. Mbeki, who has longstanding ties to Mr. Mugabe, and like him fought for years against white rule, has stuck to his position that the best approach is quiet, gradual diplomacy, and has expressed annoyance at Mr. Powell for pressuring him.At their news conference today, Mr. Bush and Mr. Mbeki said they shared the same aim of restoring stability to Zimbabwe. “President Bush and myself are absolutely of one mind about the urgent need to address the political and economic challenges of Zimbabwe,” Mr. Mbeki said. “It’s necessary to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.”Mr. Bush said he did not have “any intention of second-guessing” Mr. Mbeki’s approach, but he also signaled that the United States would continue to use diplomatic pressure to keep Zimbabwe from an economic collapse or civil war.”I think it’s important for the United States, whether it be me or my secretary of state, to speak out when we see a situation where somebody’s freedoms have been taken away from them and they’re suffering,” Mr. Bush said. “And that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”A senior administration official later told reporters that “what the presidents talked about is how their two approaches can be complementary.”The official added, “We think everyone needs to do more.”Mr. Bush briefed Mr. Mbeki on his plans for the United States to play a role in efforts to bring peace to Liberia, but again stressed that he had made no decision to commit American troops to any peacekeeping force.In a signal that he expects West African nations to take the lead in sending peacekeepers to Liberia, and that the United States might prefer to limit its involvement to technical and training support, Mr. Bush said he would “reinvigorate the strategy of helping people help themselves by providing training opportunities.”(Source: New York Times, By RICHARD W. STEVENSON, 10 July 2003)