[Ip-health] Statement of John Kerry on the Meeting of the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok

[Mike Palmedo]

Statement of John Kerry on the Meeting of the XV International AIDS Confere=
nce in Bangkok


July 10, 2004

For Immediate Release
Raleigh, NC

Senator John Kerry released the following statement today on the meeting of=
 the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok:

=93This week, those on the front lines of the fight against AIDS are gather=
ing in Bangkok for the fifteenth International AIDS Conference.

=93Despite their tireless efforts to stop one of the deadliest plagues of a=
ll time, we are losing ground.  Every hour of every day, thousands of men, =
women and children die of AIDS, and thousands more are infected with HIV.  =
The United Nations reports that 5 million people were infected in 2004, the=
 highest number ever in a single year.

=93We cannot fight AIDS without adequate weapons to prevent new infections =
and without providing treatment for the millions already living with HIV an=
d AIDS.  The Bush Administration has hampered U.S. efforts with policies cr=
afted to appease its political constituencies, putting ideology before scie=
nce.

=93Meeting the challenge of the AIDS epidemic not only is a humanitarian an=
d moral imperative but also should form an integral part of our national se=
curity strategy.  Without a massive increase in our collective efforts, AID=
S will threaten the stability of many of the world=92s most populous countr=
ies.

=93I have led efforts to put the United States at the forefront of AIDS pre=
vention, treatment, and research.  Yet I know that much more remains to be =
done. My strategy starts with doubling U.S. funding.  Last year, President =
Bush promised to commit $15 billion to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria=
: three billion dollars for each of the next five years. He is falling shor=
t of delivering on this promise. As President, I will work with Congress to=
 double U.S. funding to fight these epidemics (including substantial increa=
ses to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) and I will =
turn up the diplomatic pressure to seek similar increases from our partners=
.

=93This money will be spent wisely, invested in strategies based on science=
, not politics.  I support a comprehensive approach to stopping new HIV inf=
ections and recognize that prevention efforts cannot be effective without r=
eadily available treatments.  I will provide rapid distribution of quality =
medicines, including generic affordable, safe and effective drugs.  My stra=
tegy will meet the needs of women and children living with HIV and AIDS.  A=
nd, I am committed to finding new tools to prevent new infections, includin=
g launching an accelerated research effort to develop an AIDS vaccine.

=93As President, I will work side by side with our international partners, =
faith-based, non-governmental, affected communities, and private sector gro=
ups in order to strengthen the capacity for a sustained response by those o=
n the front lines.  A =93go it alone=94 approach to the war on AIDS is not =
how we will succeed; only in partnership can we have a chance of defeating =
this deadly disease.

=93Finally, I look forward to welcoming back the International AIDS Confere=
nce to the United States. I will work with Congress to lift the immigration=
 ban on HIV-positive people that has prohibited the United States from host=
ing this lifesaving meeting.=94