United Press International - October 9, 2002
Martin Walker, UPI Chief International Correspondent

Just returned from a five-nation African tour, Clinton said that "the HIV/AIDS epidemic can destroy all the hopes for progress in Africa" during an address to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington.

He also called on the Bush administration to increase its contribution to the AIDS fund of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan from the current $300 million to $1.3 billion.

"I wish every person could see the (AIDS) clinics I have seen in Africa" in order to comprehend the scale of the disaster, Clinton said. The crowded meeting gave him a standing ovation after his demand that the world in general and the United States in particular step up its efforts to tackle Africa's AIDS crisis.

Africa and HIV/AIDS is the first major cause that Clinton has decided to espouse since his return to private life, which has so far been focused on lucrative appearances on the global lecture circuit and the writing of his $10 million memoirs.

"I'm too young to retire, and I'm restless," he confided. "When you leave the presidency, you lose a lot of power, but you still have influence, and I want to apply that influence where it can do the most good."

Clinton has decided to follow the example of former President Jimmy Carter and lend his name and influence to worthy causes. He made a point during his speech of praising Carter, often called "America's greatest ex-president," for his support in countries around the world for causes such as democratization, free elections, education and development.

Clinton has clearly immersed himself in the AIDS issue, reeling off tables of statistics during his speech that recalled his reputation in office as a "policy wonk," familiar with the details of complex policy issues.

"Prevention alone cannot work," he said, stressing that anti-AIDS medicines had to be made available to give people incentives to be tested. "The medicine gets people to the labs to be tested.

"Botswana is the richest country in sub-Saharan Africa, but it has an HIV infection rate of 35 percent," Clinton said. "Africa's life expectancy is 48 years -- and falling -- thanks to HIV/AIDS."

"If we want a world that is defined by economic opportunity for all, and in which our security is guaranteed, and where terrorism has no place to hide, and where disputes are resolved by force of argument rather than force of arms -- if we want that sort of world, Africa has to be part of it," he said.

Clinton firmly avoided comment on the Iraq crisis. He made only one critical comment about his successor in the White House, President George W. Bush, and that was over the failure to address the issue of climate change and global warming.

"Our country is the worst offender now, and we'll pay a terrible price because we set such a lousy example," Clinton said.

Clinton also said that the climate change problem helped derail his hopes of Middle East peace, derailing the prospect of a separate Syrian-Israeli peace treaty when the two sides were so concerned about water rights that they could not agree on access to the Sea of Galilee.

"The absence of fresh water will kill more people than AIDS," he concluded.
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