Press encounter following luncheon with the Norwegian Minister of International Development, Anne Kristin Sydnes

SG: Thank you very much, Minister. I was very pleased to have had the chance to discuss this important issue of HIV/AIDS and our fight against it. As you know, it is a global problem that will require participation of every member in society to defeat, and I was very happy to see how Norway has taken it very seriously and that under the leadership of the Minister you have this forum which brings around the table people from all sectors of society, and that in a way is part of our strategy to fight the disease, encouraging each government to develop a national strategy, form a national group that will lead the fight and in Africa and elsewhere around the world we are also trying to get the prime ministers and the presidents themselves engaged to lead the fight and break the silence that surrounds the disease, so that people can come together and do whatever they can to assist those infected. But I think the Minister raised the issue of orphans. Today we have 13 million orphans, and the numbers are growing. And we are also extremely concerned with what I consider the cruellest of all transmissions, from mother to child. And it is one area that we also need to do quite a lot of work on and I think there are lots of organizations who are now becoming engaged. This is a long-term fight and I hope we will be persistent, we will stay the course and do whatever we can to defeat this epidemic, both in terms of re-energizing scientific research and search for vaccine and cure, as well as giving assistance to those who are infected and harping strongly on the message of prevention. Thank you very much. We'll take your questions.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, you have been talking to government politicians and opposition politicians today. Do you feel that Norway's commitment to the United Nations and the UN will be as strong in the future as it has been in the past?

SG: Yes, I am leaving Oslo with the firm impression that the Norwegian Government's commitment and the Norwegian people's commitment to the UN is as strong as ever. Today I met, as you know, yesterday and today I have met with Government leaders, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, Minister of International Development, I met the Speaker and I've met all the party leaders, and they've all assured me of their strong support for the United Nations and I'm convinced it will continue. We have had a good partnership and I'm looking forward to working ever more closely with Norway.

Q: Do you feel that the President of South Africa has done a good service to the fight against AIDS with his statements on HIV?

SG: Well, I know President Mbeki well, and I've had the opportunity to discuss this disease with him. He is a President who is as concerned about his society as anyone else. He's a President who wants to see economic and social development of his country, a President who realizes that the AIDS epidemic and the way it is ravaging society and taking away men and women in their prime has had impact on its society and its economic development, and he's going to do everything he can to help defeat this epidemic. I will be in South Africa at the end of the month and I will have an opportunity to continue my discussions with him on this, but he is determined to defeat the disease as well.

Q: Talking about the Middle East. While you've been eating lunch, Mr. Joshka Fischer has been meeting with Mr. Arafat in Ramallah and they are talking about a meeting between Mr. Arafat and Mr. Shimon Peres in Berlin in the near future. Are you coordinating the peace efforts in the Middle East with Mr. Fischer and what is your comment to the latest development?

SG: I am often in touch with Foreign Minister Fischer, as I am with other players and other actors in the Middle East conflict. I have always maintained that protagonists need to talk. It is when people are dying and the killing is going on that one has to talk. That is one more reason, and it should underscore the urgency to come to the table and talk. And so any attempt to bring the parties to the table is something that I support and I hope that Mr. Fischer's efforts will be successful.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, do you have any strategy to get the pharmaceutical industry more involved in combating AIDS?

SG: I am in touch, I'm engaged with the pharmaceutical industry. As you may know, two years ago I brought the chairmen, CEOs, together in New York, to encourage them to cut the prices and make the AIDS medication affordable to the poor. We met again last April in Amsterdam to review what progress has been made and to encourage them to reduce the prices further and where possible to give away the medication, and it is happening in some situations. They have agreed to offer reduced prices to all the 50 least developed countries, and in the case of other countries, do it on a country-by-country basis, and where necessary allow for them to re-licence for local production. I have also planned to meet them again in October New York, for us to review progress and what further can be done. They are responding and I hope we can work with them to really make this medication affordable.

Q: Mr. Secretary-General, as you are from Africa and must be especially concerned about the AIDS situation on that continent, I would like you to say something about what do you think about the long-term consequences of the AIDS epidemic and also I would like to hear in general what are your hopes and expectations for Africa in the future?

SG: How much time do I have to answer? (laughter)

Let me say that, on the first one, I think all African leaders are aware that the AIDS epidemic is of ultimate importance for their countries. It is an epidemic which, if we do not handle properly, will take away not only the present Africa, but Africa's future; Africa's future in the sense that some of the most productive people and people in their prime are being killed by the disease. The percentage of people between the ages of 14 and 42, who are dying of the disease, is quite high, and these are the people you rely upon to develop society, so it also has impact on economic development and exacerbates the poverty. Children without parents who are breadwinners and children who become parents before they are boys and before they are grown, so it is a very serious situation for the African continent. This is why it is important that we do all we can to try and stem the spread of disease through education and making it possible for everyone who is likely to be infected, to know how to defend himself or herself, particularly the young people, and provide care to those who have been infected, and, as I said earlier, preventing mother to child transmission, and caring for the orphans of course you need to get the communities, women's organizations and everyone involved to be able to make a difference. And so I hope that the current level of activity, the current mobilization of effort to fight the disease will be sustained because this is a long-term effort. As for the future of Africa, I think we should work with the leaders to end the political conflicts and the fights on the continent, from Congo to Angola to Sierra Leone, because, unless we can end these conflicts, we cannot focus on the essential work of economic development. It is sucking the energy of the country. And countries that are at peace and at war are equally impacted upon by these crises because in some quarters when you mention Africa, they see a continent in crisis and nobody wants to invest in a bad neighbourhood, and this is a message that the leaders are also understanding, and I am working with them collectively to try and resolve the conflicts so that we can focus on the essentials: education of the youth, economic and social development, assuring that people have clean water, good health and education. Thank you very much.*****