The trade ministers meeting in Sydney this Thursday and Friday must agree to give poor nations access to cheap drugs to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria "to maintain the confidence from the developing world that they are being included, involved, and their issues are being dealt with," Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile said Tuesday. The World Trade Organization's 144 members agreed in Doha, Qatar, last November to hammer out, by the end of this year, an agreement to provide developing nations access to affordable drugs for HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and other epidemic diseases. Vaile said he was hopeful that the conferees can agree on which countries should have access to cheap generic drugs; which countries can be allowed to manufacture them; what diseases should be covered; and how to ensure that cheap drugs are not diverted to wealthy markets.

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