■  Michael Cashman:  “It seems only right for an institution like the European Parliament to come out in support of World Aids Day ...”

BRUSSELS, November 29, 2006  –  The European Parliament could be marking World Aids Day with a minute of silence in its plenary session in Brussels on Friday.

The agenda already shows that the session will start with a statement on Aids from the European Commission.

It was revealed today that Michael Cashman MEP (Labour/PES, UK), president of the Intergroup on gay and lesbian rights, has met with the European Parliament’s president, Josep Borrell Fontelles, and discussed the upcoming World AIDS Day.

Mr. Cashman proposed to the Parliament’s president that the European Parliament officially recognise and participate in this World Aids Day by taking a solemn minute of silence.  Such a minute of silence would represent a symbolic recognition of the forty million individuals who are infected with HIV.

“The intergroup on gay and lesbian rights has already called for renewed political commitment to combat the spread of Aids,” Mr. Cashman said.

“The European Parliament can, in the context of this plenary session, offer an appropriate and symbolic gesture that it supports this call for renewed political commitment.  It seems only right for an institution like the European Parliament to come out in support of World Aids Day in this fashion.

“I call upon my colleague, Josep Borrell Fontelles, to take the required actions to make this possible and further hope that all political parties will support this proposal,” he said.

The intergroup has welcomed continuing efforts to improve the situation throughout the world.

Aids is still one of the leading medical threats facing our global community and more must be done to combat the spread of Aids.  It called upon governments to not forget LGBT peoples who are once again one of the fastest growing infected groups in Europe and elsewhere.

“Whilst we were seeing encouraging results in 2000, it seems as though all these efforts are being erased by growing contamination rates in the last couple of years,” Mr. Cashman pointed out.

“We once again need to reconfirm our commitment as political leaders and ensure that the LGBT community in particular understand that AIDS is still a killer disease, despite all the hopeful developments in medicine.”