TORONTO, Aug 15, 2006 (AFP) - The image of the Middle East is of a tense, fractured region, with Israelis and Arabs mired in fear and mutual hostility, dwelling on ancient memories of bloodshed, grief and destruction.
But in Toronto, there was unity in a common cause on Tuesday as Israeli, Palestinian and Lebanese doctors, researchers and scientists, joined by delegates from Iran, gathered to discuss AIDS problems in the Middle East.
"We're building a bridge of peace, if you want," Inon Schenker, a doctor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, told AFP.
"In a troubled region like the Middle East, it is important to mention that the researchers are proving that HIV can bring people together," he said.
"It's not our role. We are not politicians, but ... we are able to demonstrate that it is possible to sit around the same table and discuss research and a key issue like HIV/AIDS and saving lives. I think this is a very important signal."
On the eve of their meeting at the 16th International AIDS Conference, a ceasefire took hold in Lebanon following a UN resolution aimed at stilling one of the region's bloodiest conflicts in decades. The violence claimed the lives of around 1,150 people in Lebanon and 158 Israelis.
"On the international agenda, the Middle East must be higher, not in terms of the publicity it gets from wrong-doing, but for the good we're trying to do," Schenker said.
Mark Wainberg, co-chair of the AIDS conference, applauded the group for showing "solidarity" to stop this disease.
"We all need to work together to make this happen," he said.
An estimated 510,000 people or 0.2 percent of the population in the Middle East and North Africa are infected with AIDS, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
But, reporting in the area is lax and the figure is probably "significantly underestimated," said the agency's Samir Anouti, a Lebanese who attended the meeting.
Risks of infection are similar to most places -- including unprotected sex, and intravenous drug use -- but there has been a limited response to the epidemic due to its "perceived low prevalence" in the region, he said.
Jocelyn DeJong, a researcher at the American University in Beirut, explained: "Governments are reluctant to ask questions about sexual behavior, particularly outside of marriage."
"Stigma is the main obstacle to AIDS research and care in the Middle East," she said.
"We don't see the leadership in the Middle East (as in other places) where political leaders are giving strength to the fight against AIDS," added Schenker.
Several Lebanese AIDS delegates were stranded by the war and unable to attend the Toronto conference, officials here said.
Some sent messages of support. One came from George Azzi, founder of a gay and lesbian group called Helem, who said the conflict was "only strengthening religious radicalism in the region" and thus badly hampered efforts to roll back AIDS, a disease that feeds on stigma and homophobia.
060815
AF060873
Copyright ©AFP 2006. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission. 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/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Bridgestone Firestone Trust Fund, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
©1990, 2006 - AEGiS. AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
