President’s Trip Addresses Key Humanitarian Issues

Reuters Photo

This week President Bush has made what many are calling “…the most ambitious foreign trip of his presidency.” Throughout the seven-day, seven-nation trek, President Bush has addressed some of the world’s most complex humanitarian issues.

Sunday and Monday, the president attended a summit of G8 members in Evian, France and challenged them to dramatically increase their spending on international AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean. However, the meeting produced discussion with few immediate financial commitments.

Wednesday, the president met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to further solidify the “road map to peace.” During the meetings, both Sharon and Abbas offered key concessions, including Sharon’s promise to remove unauthorized Israeli outposts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Abbas’ renunciation of terrorist acts against Israeli citizens.

“This trip allowed President Bush to address some of great humanitarian issues of our day,” said World Vision director of advocacy and public policy Serge Duss. “The global AIDS pandemic and the continued conflict in the Middle East are two of the greatest humanitarian challenges that continue to affect not just Africa or the Middle East, but the United States as well.”