CAPE TOWN, Dec 13 (AFP) - The United States will commit nine million dollars to South Africa's fight against HIV/AIDS next year, a fourfold increase on its 1999 assistance, US Representative Richard Gephardt said here Monday.

Democrat minority leader Gephardt is part of a nine-member bipartisan delegation of the US Congress which is to wrap up a three-country 10-day visit to Africa on Tuesday.

The delegation, which also visited Nigeria and Zimbabwe, held private talks with President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria on Sunday.

It also met with business leaders in Johannesburg and community activists in Soweto and Cape Town.

"The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa has reached epidemic proportions that threaten the social fabric and economic vitality of each nation," Gephardt told reporters in Cape Town.

"We discussed this issue at great length with the leaders of each country we visited, emphasised to President Thabo Mbeki yesterday (Sunday) our desire to tackle this crisis together, in an aggressive and comprehensive manner," he said.

Washington contributed two million dollars to South Africa's anti-AIDS campaign in 1999.

Congressman Donald Payne told the press conference that the delegation met with Washington's UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke while in Zimbabwe, and was "encouraged" by his efforts to end the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Gephardt added that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was "forward leaning" in trying to bring the war to a conclusion.

He said the delegation discussed Mugabe's withdrawal from the DRC. "My sense was that he is desirous of getting a ceasefire, of getting the (joint) military commission up and running."

Amo Houghton, vice-chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, said Zimbabweans "clearly desire a more responsive government and the active involvement of a broad range of civic groups."

"We hope President Mugabe will take the lead in strengthening democratic institutions in his country, and we encourage the involvement of non-governmental organizations in this endeavour," Houghton said.

But he added that "Mugabe was not in the mood to make a commitment to us on anything."

In Nigeria, the congressional delegation pledged its support to that country's transition to democracy as President Olusegun Obasanjo leads his people away from military rule.

991213
AF991233

Copyright © AFP or Agence France-Presse, 1999 - AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, that no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics.  http://www.afp.com/