MEDIA REACTION SA DRUG DEAL WITH WTO HAILED;

UNCLAS HARARE 001841 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION SA DRUG DEAL WITH WTO HAILED; HARARE ¶1. Under headline "SA drugs deal with WTO noble" the pro-government weekly "The Sunday Mirror" dedicated its September 7 editorial to hailing a drug manufacturing and importation deal between South Africa and the World Trade Organization (WTO), saying the deal "has far-reaching positive implications for Southern Africa." Excerpts: ¶2. "The Southern African region should give a round of applause to the WTO for striking a drug manufacturing and importation deal with South Africa. Under the deal, South Africa is set to become a major manufacturer of pharmaceuticals for the rest of Africa. The recently signed accord will enable African countries facing public health crises and without the capacity to manufacture generic drugs, to import them from South Africa. This development has far-reaching positive implications for Southern Africa. The region is the worst hit by HIV/Aids, with South Africa itself and Botswana said to be leading the pack in Africa. . .If South Africa were to manufacture ARVs wholesale, its neighbors would access them relatively easily and this would go a long way in stemming the pandemic that has already claimed millions of lives in the region. It is encouraging that the accord specifically indicates that manufactured drugs would be available at accessible prices. In this regard, the pharmaceutical deal goes beyond pure entrepreneurial considerations; it takes on a social responsibility dimension. In addition, most of the countries in the region have poor health delivery systems owing to the struggling economies. They would no longer need to travel far and wide to obtain vital but scarce drugs." SULLIVAN