Daily press briefing by Ministry Deputy Spokesperson

XVII INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE

In order to underscore the comprehensive financial effort France is making in the fight against AIDS, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs recalls France’s principal contributions:

 Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: overall contribution of €300 million, 60% of which (€180 million) goes to the fund to fight AIDS. France’s contribution to the Global Fund will be €900 million for 2008-2010, a 33% increase compared with 2005-2007. France is the largest European contributor and second-largest contributor to the Fund overall.

 UNITAID: France, which originated this initiative, contributes €160 million. Using tax-funded resources as do other French contributions, this instrument is financed mainly by receipts from the solidarity tax on airplane tickets. The contribution, 85% of which is specifically earmarked for AIDS, is aimed at improving access to medications in developing countries.

 French development agency: €20 million disbursed through bilateral aid programmes.

 ESTHER (“Ensemble pour une solidarité thérapeutique hospitalière en réseau contre le sida”): €8.5 million, 7.5 of which is allocated by the Health Ministry with another 1 million allocated by the Foreign Ministry. ESTHER promotes access to treatment and psychological and social counselling for people living with HIV/AIDS by strengthening the capabilities of local health providers. It currently assists 49,000 people receiving ARV treatment throughout the world.

 Technical assistance from the Foreign Ministry and contributions to relevant international organizations (WHO, UNAIDS): €1.2 million.

 National AIDS Research Agency (ANRS): €10 million.

These contributions total €379.7 million in financing specifically for the fight against AIDS.

Additionally, part of several French health-related contributions go to fight AIDS, although it is impossible to isolate the specific amount. That’s the case for French contributions to the European Development Fund (€95 million allocated for health programmes), the World Bank (€54.5 million for health programmes), the Pasteur Institute (€19 million for health research) and the Research and Development Institute (€11 million).

All of this represents an additional total of €179.5 million, some of which is devoted to the fight against AIDS carried out by these respective organizations.

The volume and evolution of contributions allocated to the fight against AIDS worldwide thus testifies to the priority France gives to this challenge.

Q. - When the AIDS conference opened, NGOs and officials were surprised the Minister wasn’t there representing France, especially at a time when our country is presiding over the EU. […] How can this absence be interpreted in any way other than as a political gesture betraying France’s lack of commitment to this issue?

The French delegation to the Mexico Conference is being headed by M. Viossat, the ambassador in charge of coordinating France’s external efforts in the fight against AIDS.

He carried a message from the President that will be conveyed to the conference’s participants today.

M. Viossat is heading a high-level delegation consisting of the main leaders of French groups involved in the fight against AIDS.

Furthermore, a joint contribution by Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot will be made public during the discussions.

As a sign of the importance France attributes to the fight against AIDS on the ground in developing countries, and especially in Africa, the Minister of State responsible for Cooperation and Francophony, M. Joyandet, went to Dakar on 2 and 3 August to inaugurate, in the presence of former president Clinton and UNITAID president M. Douste-Blazy, a care structure specialized in treating AIDS patients.

Q. - The Director of the National AIDS and Hepatitis Research Institute (ANRS) said yesterday in Mexico that the Ministry subsidy for his institution would be slashed by nearly half. Can you confirm this, and if so, what are the reasons for this decision? Is it consistent with the expressed desire to support the fight against AIDS?

The Foreign Ministry’s contribution to the ANRS must be part of a global financial effort France is making to the fight against AIDS.

The ANRS is a research organization that carries out most of its activities in France. The Foreign and European Affairs Ministry is only involved in the international part of its activities. The credits it received from this ministry did indeed decrease in 2008 compared with the previous year, but they still amounted to €1.5 million and not 600,000, as was indicated. This decrease, linked to budgetary constraints, is limited compared with all the credits pledged by France in the fight against AIDS in the world.

As I said, France is the largest European contributor to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the second-largest contributor overall.

IRAN/NUCLEAR

[…]

As we have emphasized on several occasions, it is in Iran’s interest to demonstrate a constructive approach by suspending her sensitive nuclear activities, notably uranium enrichment.

Otherwise, the Iranian government will continue to expose its country to growing isolation within the international community as well as strengthened measures against it.

ISRAEL/LEBANON

[…] Q. - Israeli fighter plans continue to violate Lebanese air (and maritime) space. What is your reaction, now that the threat of a response to these violations is crystallizing?

[…] With respect to violations of Lebanese sovereignty, France calls for the implementation of UNSCR 1701 in its entirety./.