Bush Invites African Leaders to Meet at G8 Summit to Discuss HIV/AIDS, Other Issues

Bush administration officials on Tuesday announced that President Bush has invited the leaders of six African countries to next month's Group of Eight summit, leading some advocates to think that HIV/AIDS will be a "top agenda item" at the meeting, the Florida Times-Union reports. The president invited the leaders of Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda to meet with G8 leaders during the summit, which is scheduled to be held in Sea Island, Ga. (Hart, Florida Times-Union, 5/20). White House spokesperson Scott McClellan said in a statement that the United States and other G8 countries will "continue working in partnership with Africa to combat Africa's deadliest diseases," including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and polio. He added that Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria are "focus countries" of the five-year, $15 billion President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (White House release, 5/18). Prior to the president's invitation, some HIV/AIDS advocates were concerned that HIV/AIDS would "trail far behind" the issues of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and the rebuilding of Afghanistan and Iraq during the G8 meeting, according to the Times-Union (Florida Times-Union, 5/20).

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