Date:26/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/26/stories/2005052601841300.htm

National

Clinton arrives, to visit Nagapattinam district

Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI: The former United States President, Bill Clinton, arrived here on Wednesday. He will be visiting the tsunami-affected areas in his capacity as Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery. He will see the temporary shelters for the affected people in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, the worst hit on the mainland.

Mr. Clinton will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on Thursday besides holding meetings with Home Minister Shivraj Patil and other senior officials to discuss rehabilitation and reconstruction after the tsunami, according to an official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

On Wednesday, Mr. Clinton called on Union Health and Family Welfare Minister A. Ramadoss and discussed the health scenario in the country, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS.

He appreciated the efforts made by the Government on awareness creation as well as Anti-Retroviral Therapy treatment. On Thursday he will deliver the keynote address at a national conference on HIV/AIDS being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Indian Business Trust for HIV/AIDS and National AIDS Control Organisation.

Mr. Clinton will fly to Chennai on Friday from where he will visit Nagapattinam. The Clinton Foundation has adopted several villages in the district where rehabilitation and reconstruction work is on. From Chennai, Mr. Clinton will fly to Sri Lanka on May 28 and then to other tsunami-hit countries.