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Africa's external debt is a major obstacle in the fight against HIV/AIDS, a US-based lobby group said on Thursday.
Africa Action called on the US government for immediate and unconditional debt cancellation for African countries by using its influence over the two leading creditors - the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report titled, "Africa Policy for a New Era", executive director of Africa Action Salih Booker said: "The HIV/AIDS crisis on the African continent should be the top foreign policy priority of the United States ... [HIV/AIDS] is the single greatest global threat to human security today ... far more deadly than terrorism or the alleged existence of Iraqi weapons".
Booker criticised US President George W. Bush's inaction on the global HIV/AIDS crisis, arguing, "the US has a moral obligation, an historical responsibility and a national interest in helping to defeat the pandemic in Africa".
To access the full report:
http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/afr2003.htm
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