July 11, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1423

BARCELONA: July 10: Activists trashed the European Commission’s exhibition stand at the world AIDS conference on Wednesday demanding the EU contribute more to a global fund against AIDS.

They spray-painted “Shame” on the counter and on an EU flag, scattered leaflets on the floor, and plastered the booth with stickers saying “Where is the $10 billion?”.

Wealthy nations have pledged $2.8 billion to the global fund against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis launched last year by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan but it is only a fraction of the $10 billion goal.

“In the last two years, nothing has changed in terms of the resources given to the fight against AIDS,” said a spokesman for the protesters from activist group Act-Up Paris.

It had been shown that wide-scale treatment for people with AIDS was feasible, he said. “Now all that is required is for actual resources to come on line...so that we can implement those treatments and turn back the epidemic,” he said.

“The rich countries ... don’t commit remotely the amount of resources that they can and must commit.” He said the EU should be paying in $4 billion to the fund but had only contributed some $200 million. An EC spokesman said the Commission had pledged $119.4m to the global fund but had no figures for separate donations by member states.—Reuters