PAN

France’s Reaction to Wikileaks

February 26^th, 2011.

Kira Winn

Pajhwok Afghan News Agency

The French delegate claims that her government “[feels] very strongly” about finding a cure for HIV/AIDS, but as new evidence comes to light, it seems quite clear that her integrity should be questioned. 

This morning in the World Health Organization, when the rest of the delegates were working on a proposed resolution for the HIV/AIDS issue, France seemed to feel that her time would be better spent doodling on a scrap piece of paper. This attitude makes more sense after reading a Wikileaks article leaked this morning, documenting a correspondence between a Dr. H. Goulet and M.C. Ruére, showing the government continuing to fund a research company as it moved away from a potential cure and towards treating only the symptoms. When asked, the delegate said that the research into this possible cure was “costing [France] way too much money” and that they felt they should “halt it [and] save money.”

Obviously France doesn’t seem to think they should explore all avenues of curing HIV/AIDS, or that they should invest too much money into this cause which they supposedly feel so strongly about. The delegate also said they didn’t want to encourage this measure above other all others because they “weren’t completely sure of the doctors working on it.” Still, the article claimed that “[France’s] research funding would still support [him].” As well as contradicting themselves, France has shown that they have no problem in continuing to fund a man whose research they do not trust.

The resolution the countries were working on encouraged the research and production of antiretroviral drugs, which would have to be purchased frequently by those suffering from HIV/AIDS. When asked how they felt about speculation that said their government agreed with Dr. Goulet in stopping his research towards the symptoms as opposed to a cure just to help pharmaceutical companies make money, they answered in the affirmative, and even went so far as to say that the “European Nation isn’t fully 100 percent behind [taking patients off of drugs] because it makes money for pharmaceutical companies.” Obviously France, and maybe the rest of the European Nation if her comments are to be believed, don’t feel as strongly about the issue of HIV/AIDS as they have claimed.