Re: [adf2000-l] U.S. Offers Africa Billions to Fight AIDS

>>>>
> Dear Colleagues:
>
> The New York Times today (7/19/00) reported this:
>
> "Washington, July 18-- The United States plans to offer sub-Sahara African Nations $1 billion in loans annually to finance the purchase of American AIDS drugs and medical services, a program that greatly increases the money available to combat the disease in a region that has become its epicenter.  More can be found on this site:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/071900africa-aids.html
>
> We welcome this U.S gesture. But please read this with a fine tooth comb. When one sees "offers" one thinks that there is a "gift", but this is a loan! Can this be another set of years of mortgaging the future of SSA!!!!. Pleaseread the full text and give your comments. I have pasted it below:
>
> ==================================
>
> U.S. Offers Africa Billions to Fight AIDS
>
>
> By JOSEPH KAHN
>
>
>
> WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The United States plans to offer sub-Saharan African nations $1 billion in loans annually to finance the purchase of American AIDS drugs and medical services, a program that greatly increases the money available to combat the disease in a region that has become its epicenter. 
<<<<

Of course, this is a strategic trick.

a) Pharmaceutical American companies have lobbied current US Gov. just before the coming elections to sell their old drugs stocks to third world countries (remember how dangerous DDT stocks were sold to African continent in the late 60's after their prohibition in the States)

b) fighting for their expansion, USA are trying to take advantage in the African continent, usually managed by European countries

c) this false help is going to be used as a electoral campaign trick to convince left wing electorate to vote for Clinton administration under the pretext of a sustainable future conscience

d) answering to the American virus phobia, this drug injection in Africa gives the image of stoping the Aids spread and keep it in a over-the-ocean continent, far away from the American dream

e) with this fresh money, American drug companies will produce new products for the American seropositives, a more profitable business

f) this is a loan, at a market price, it's not a favour. It's a sword in the throat of new generations because this loan is made in US Dollars, that means if the African money are devaluated in the future (and they will be for it the Aids impact on society and, by the way in the economy) this loan is going to be a never ending debt to be added to the existing ones

g) thanks to this serie of loans, US economy is ensuring a future of cheap commodities, a way to back their big fight against the other last remaining economical giant: the European Union 

h) USA will ask to be paid back for their loan and, as African governments will be unable to do so, US corporate power will oblige, through the US government which in turn will act through the WB and IMF, African countries to make more structural adjustments

i) this new adoption of free market dictates will allow transnational companies to take profit of all the natural ressources and to exploite the very cheap local workforce to allow their benefits growing meantime African continent will still dying

j) a real help would have be 
- give the money to generic drug producers as the Brazilian or Indian ones, 
- promote conscience of the aids danger in the population, 
- boost existing wealth network
- finance local NGOs

k) once again we are in front of a domination race in wich the most powerful ones are trying to take advantage of every profitable element, including the life of the others. Nobody is going to win this race because we are near by the limits and this limits are the death of large parts of the world population and the end of the natural ressources

l) we must stop the race and change the current competition framework into a sustainable cooperation 

m) this action requires the collaboration of all the nations to establish a new policy framework to be applied simultaneously in all the countries at the same time in a way to avoid corporate world threat

n) to understand the main concept, you can visit the Simultaneous Policy website http://www.simpol.org

o) we look forward to your comments

p) if it could be possible, African civil society should require to receive not a loan but a real gift, a present to built an healthy future. This money should go directly to the local NGOs, this help should be used by the field organisations because they know how to act and how to manage small budgets. To avoid heavy losses the should-be donation should came directly from the donators to the local NGOs, without any transit through the national governments budget lines.

q) last but not least, this amount of money is probably coming from the development aid earned during the last years, and, in this case, the money is going to stay in the United States, moving from the government account to the drug company account (and a part of it is going to be spent as an electoral support!!)

Thank you


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