Many world leaders "couldn't care less" about the crisis in HIV/Aids and its impact on Africa, according to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Criticising his international colleagues, he told the Dáil that "a host of significant and wealthy countries do not consider this to be a major issue on their doorsteps". They take a "que sera" attitude.
The Taoiseach said he had "been a plague on my colleagues in Europe for the past nine years on this issue". At the UN Aids conference in New York recently, he reaffirmed Ireland's commitment of €100 million a year to deal with HIV/Aids and other poverty-related diseases, and said that a number of EU countries also did not regard it as an important issue.
"They speak about the immigration issue but ignore Africa on the other issue. They have it wrong and they are well used to listening to my view on this." He said, however, that countries such as Luxembourg and Norway did highlight Aids.
Mr Ahern said that Africans "hold in huge regard the resources we give and the respect Irish people have given for generations. At one time it was missionaries and now, increasingly, it is NGOs and many civic groups."
He added that the programmes Ireland was involved in in Mozambique "have made an extraordinary impact even though we are only a small country. If bigger countries engaged, it could have an enormous impact."
Green Party spokesman John Gormley said the criticism of the Taoiseach for attending the UN Aids conference in New York during the crisis over statutory rape was unwarranted and he commended Mr Ahern and his address to the conference. Mr Gormley added that "it was noticeable that many world leaders did not turn up at the UN".
Mr Ahern told Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny that the Minister for Defence would consider his suggestion that the naval vessel LE Eithne, which had a fully equipped surgical theatre and a 200 capacity, could be used by Irish medics to provide international public service "without the normal restrictions within which the Minister for Defence must operate in sending a battalion of soldiers abroad".
