[Ip-health] G&M-AIDS plan won't face NAFTA opposition

[Rachel COHEN]

 AIDS plan won't face NAFTA opposition

 Canadian Press


 POSTED AT 2:52 PM EDT
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 Trade representatives from the United States and Mexico suggested Tuesday
 they won't block Canadian companies from exporting generic drugs to fight
 AIDS in developing countries.


 But U.S. trade representative Robert Zoellick and Fernando Canales,
 Mexico's secretary of the economy, told a news conference Canada must
 honour international trade rules as it implements the generic drug plan.


 "We think it's a very fine step," Mr. Zoellick said following a meeting
 with Mr. Canales and Canadian International Trade Minister Pierre
 Pettigrew.


 "We, of course, would expect that Canada as one of the framers of the
 rules would maintain the rules we agreed on," Mr. Zoellick said.


 Mr. Canales said Mexico also shares Canada's concerns about the AIDS
 epidemic in developing countries.


 Canadian officials have expressed concerns the plan could face delays if
 Mexico or the United States objects to the program under the North
 American Free Trade Agreement.


 A World Trade Organization agreement reached in August that legalized
 certain exceptions to world patent laws provided the impetus for Ottawa's
 plan to allow generic drug exports. But the WTO agreement has not been
 copied into NAFTA.


 The United States reluctantly signed the WTO deal and Mr. Zoellick gave
 conditional support to the Canadian initiative.


 Mr. Pettigrew said he was pleased that Canada's drug initiative has the
 support of its NAFTA partners.


 "I feel very good," Mr. Pettigrew told reporters. "I'm very grateful with
 the public support to the Canadian initiative."


 Mr. Pettigrew met his U.S. and Mexican counterparts to mark the 10th
 anniversary of NAFTA which falls on Jan. 1, 2004.









*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Rachel M. Cohen
U.S. Director, Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
Doctors Without Borders/M=E9decins Sans Fronti=E8res (MSF)
333 Seventh Avenue, 2nd Floor * New York, NY * 10001-5004 * USA
Tel: +1-212-655-3762
Mobile: +1-917-331-9077
Fax: +1-212-679-7016
E-mail: rachel.cohen@newyork.msf.org

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
http://www.accessmed-msf.org/