Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03HARARE1841
2003-09-15 05:19:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Harare
Cable title:  

MEDIA REACTION SA DRUG DEAL WITH WTO HAILED;

Tags:  PREL KPAO KMDR ZI 
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150519Z Sep 03
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


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