AIDS Patients Hidden Victims of Any Iraq War--UN

January 10, 2003

Thu Jan 9, 2:29 PM ET

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A senior UN official warned on Wednesday

that a war against Iraq would " eclipse " every other international

human priority, leaving people with AIDS among its greatest

sufferers.

In an impassioned plea for funds, , a special UN envoy

to combat AIDS in Africa, told a news conference that the time for

polite or even agitated entreaties was over or the world would be

committing " mass murder by complacency. "

" If, as some suggest, there is a war in Iraq come February, then the

war will eclipse every other priority, " said.

AIDS will kill 70 million people over the next 20 years, mostly in

Africa, unless rich nations step up their efforts to curb the

disease, according to UN figures. Last year AIDS killed a record 3

million people, 2.2 million in Africa alone--and HIV infected another

5 million worldwide.

" People living with HIV/AIDS are in a race against time, "

said. " What they never imagined was that over and above the virus

itself, there would be a new adversity and that adversity would be a

war. "

" Wars divert attention, wars consume resources, wars ride roughshod

over external calamities, " added.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS has receive pledges for about $2.5

billion dollars but not all the money has been received. However, UN

estimates say the fund will need $3.2 billion this year, increasing

in stages to $9.2 billion in 2005.

" If the United States and the other members of the Group of Seven

don't augment their contributions to the Global Fund in the immediate

future, we will be in desperate trouble, " said, adding that the

fund had enough money until the end of January but then " can be said

to be in crisis. "

Reporting on a trip to Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe,

said all were engaged in endless numbers of initiatives, projects,

programs and models. If broadened throughout the country, the

pandemic would be halted.

" What is required is a combination of political will and resources, "

he said. " The political will is increasingly there. The money is

not. "

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