Star campaigners arrive for Aids conference

Bob Geldof and Archbishop Desmond Tutu are among the delegates at an international conference on combating HIV and Aids opening in Dublin today.

The two-day meeting is going ahead in Dublin Castle as part of the current Irish presidency of the European Union.

A total of 55 countries will be represented at the conference, under the chairmanship of junior foreign minister Tom Kitt, the first of three events being staged during Ireland’s term of office with the aim of pushing HIV and Aids higher up on the European and international political agenda.

Mr Kitt said: “I have made the fight against HIV and Aids our priority on the development agenda during our presidency.

“In June we will host an international meetings on the search for a HIV/Aids vaccine.”

The conference will focus on the rapidly expanding epidemic of the disease in the European and Central Asian region.

The minister added: “I am very please that Archbishop Tutu and Bob Geldof responded to my request to attend the conference to place the European and Central Asian problem in a global perspective.”

Both the Archbishop and the former Boomtown Rat and international fund-raiser will be addressing the conference.

Other speakers include former President and United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Mary Robinson and European Parliament president Pat Cox.

The conference will be declared open by Bertie Ahern.