Gore to announce administration push to fight AIDS in Africa

January 8, 2000
Web posted at: 4:06 a.m. EST (0906 GMT)

From Senior White House Correspondent John King

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- Vice President Al Gore will announce a significant new Clinton administration budget initiative Monday designed to combat the spread of AIDS in Africa, officials told CNN.

The vice president will announce the AIDS initiative during what government and campaign aides describe as a major international policy speech to be delivered at the United Nations. It is one of several the White House has reserved for Gore to announce in hopes the official events will help his presidential campaign.

Gore has been invited to speak to this year's opening session of the U.N. Security Council. Administration and campaign sources were reluctant to provide details of the program, except to say it represented a major new commitment to AIDS education and prevention.

"Some of the details, including the bottom line in the budget, are still being worked on," one senior White House aide said.

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The AIDS initiative dovetails with one of the major priorities of Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and a Gore confidante who has promised to make Africa a major focus of his U.N. tenure. It also could help Gore counter criticism from liberal and other activist groups who say the Clinton administration has not dedicated enough attention to Africa generally and AIDS in particular.

Other budget initiatives earmarked for Gore in the coming weeks are focused on major domestic political issues -- health care, education and agriculture among them.