US President Mr George W Bush has announced the United States willcontribute $200m to a global AIDS fund.
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US President Bush
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"We must all show leadership and all share responsibility. For ourpart I'm today committing the United States of America to support anew worldwide fund with a founding contribution of 200 million,"President Bush said at a ceremony in the Rose Garden, where he wasaccompanied by Nigerian President Mr Olusegun Obasanjo and UNSecretary-General Mr Kofi Annan.
The UN Secretry-General hopes to raise a global fund of$7bnto $10bn to fight the disease which has reached epidemic proportions in parts of Africa.
The United States is the first country to commit to the fund, butAIDS activists have criticized the contribution as paltry.
Mr Annan, who proposed the global fund last month after a summit inAfrica, applauded the United States for its contribution but noted agood deal more money was needed.
"As we declare global war on AIDS, we will need a war chest to fightit," Mr Annan said after Mr Bush's announcement. "We need to mobilize anadditional 7 to 10 billion a year to fight this disease well."
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, hosted an African summit onAIDS last month that was attended by former President Bill Clintonwho told the conference he thought the United States could easilyafford to contribute as much as $1.75bn.
Africa is hardest hit by the disease, home to more than 70 per cent ofthe world's 36 million people infected by HIV.
More than 22 million people have died worldwide since the AIDSepidemic began in the 1970s.