Co-hosts, Mr. Maurice Tempelsman,
Chairman Lazare Kaplan International,
and Dr. J. Stephen Morrison, Director
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Africa Programme and Executive Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies Task Force on HIV/AIDS

Honourable Gladys Kokorwe, Assistant Minister of Local Government of Botswana

Honourable Senator Michael Enzi

Honourable Congressman William Jefferson

Honourable Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Ambassador Randall Tobias, Global AIDS Co-ordinator

Dr. Helene Gayle, Director of the HIV, TB and Reproductive Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

1. A very good evening to you all ladies and gentlemen! It is such great pleasure to be with you tonight. I am particularly delighted to see around this room men and women who have a close relationship with my country, Botswana.

2. I would love to provide an outline of how each and everyone of you is associated with Botswana. But if I were to do so, we would probably have our dinner for breakfast. Allow me therefore to simply say, how deeply we appreciate your friendship and the pivotal role you are playing in strengthening relations between the United States and Botswana. I am grateful to you Mr. Maurice Tempelsman and Dr. Stephen Morrison for making it possible for all of us to meet here tonight.

3. Every Wednesday, I chair a meeting of Cabinet. It is an important meeting and usually no apologies are accepted. Today, Honourable Kokorwe and I were not able to attend the meeting and Cabinet accepted our apologies. This is because we had a full and productive day. The issues we discussed today are central to everything that we do in the development of our country. The impact of HIV/AIDS cuts across every human activity in Botswana.

4. Let me therefore express my gratitude to Senator Bill Frist, and the Centre for Strategic and International Studies Task Force on HIV/AIDS and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for their initiative in convening the International Conference on Botswana's efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. This was a purposeful, focussed and action oriented Conference. Its comprehensive nature in terms of the issues covered and strategic outlook is comparable only to our National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework, 2003 - 2009.

5. There is a lot that can be said about the Conference. We have noted a genuine and deep feeling of compassion and readiness to do something to help us. We have indeed noted the commitment and determination to remain engaged and work in partnership with us to combat the epidemic.

6. Tomorrow we shall return to Botswana with a spirit of greater determination to address the constraints and weaknesses which we jointly identified during our deliberations. Tonight, as we sit around dinner tables, we will not only be renewing our friendship with you, but also pondering over the conclusions of the Conference. For we must translate them into actions that can effectively and speedily combat HIV/AIDS pandemic.

7. I wish to reiterate that my Government and I are determined to wage a decisive battle against HIV/AIDS. We came to this conference with an open mind. We are prepared to review our procedures and processes. We recognise that in war one must constantly review battle plans and calibrate weapons if decisive victory is to be achieved. We have the will and the flexibility to review our policies to enhance our capacity to eradicate new infections and mitigate the impact of the virus on those already infected.

8. Ladies and gentlemen, while the fight against HIV/AIDS is a major preoccupation, it must be stated that life still goes on, and life must go on! Death has been in existence since the beginning of life. As a matter of fact if there was no end to life as we know it, humanity would probably not value life. One American in recent history said, "the graveyard is full of great and indispensable men and women, but life still goes on." The death of our compatriots due to HIV/AIDS certainly diminishes us but that does not put an end to the course of history. We cannot afford to give up on life.

9. In this respect, life has not come to an end in Botswana because of the epidemic. Batswana are determined as ever to continue building a peaceful, democratic and economically prosperous country. Let me reiterate that Botswana is a good destination for foreign direct investment. We strongly believe in a free and open economy. We developed and practiced policies that are friendly to private investment from the first day of our independence to this day. It was our investor friendly policies that attracted mining companies to prospect for minerals and subsequently exploited diamond deposits as well as coal, copper and nickel.

10. We are committed to the creation of an atmosphere that is welcoming to
private foreign investment by maintaining conducive macro-economic conditions in terms of low tax rates, competitive exchange rates and interest rates, access to credit, price stability and an environment free of foreign exchange controls. Economic diversification is a top priority and opportunities exist for private sector investment in the fields of manufacturing, tourism, financial services and agriculture.

11. Our policies and practices are a matter of public record and in recent months a number of institutions have publicly stated their views regarding their assessment of how our economy is managed. I encourage policy and decision makers as well as investors to take a closer look at these reports.

12. In July this year, the United Nations Economic Report on Africa stated, inter alia, that Botswana's legal system was more effective at enforcing contracts, laws and regulations are more predictable, transparent and uniformly applied. The report also stated that the quality of the civil service is good and that access to and reliability of telecommunications, transport and electricity are dependable.

13. In June 2003, the World Economic Forum commended Botswana's public institutions for their quality, low levels of corruption and respect for the rule of law. The Economic Freedom of the World: 2003 Annual Report which was released by the Cato Institute in conjunction with the Fraser Institute of Canada ranked Botswana as having one of the highest levels of economic freedom in the world. Another noteworthy independent assessment is the sovereign credit ratings of "A" grades for two consecutive years by Standard and Poor's and Moody's Investor Service. That is what has been said about us by independent observers and I can only say, I guarantee it!

14. I, therefore wish to invite the leadership of corporate America to consider Botswana in their investment decisions. I reassure you that there are great opportunities for your investments to grow and for you to repatriate your profits.

15. Some commentators have not been amused or were actually annoyed by our macro-economic performance and the rankings we received from independent agencies. Unpleasant comments have been made about the HIV prevalence rates in Botswana and how it could not be possible for a country whose population was dying of AIDS to be ranked higher than so many countries. The reality is that we are not in the business of pleasing or annoying anyone. Our policies are based on our knowledge and assessment of how the economy works and what is good for Botswana and its people.

16. As I stated earlier during the day, it is important that people whose lives are prolonged, lead fully productive lives for as long as possible. I am convinced that people living with HIV too must benefit from the opportunities for employment, training and self-actualisation. This is only achievable in a growing economy. However, we are not saying investors should come to Botswana out of compassion to provide jobs, care and support to people affected by HIV/AIDS. We are simply saying in Botswana there is a robust and functioning economy underpinned by good policies and a legal system that is friendly to private foreign investment.

17. Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by stating that I stand before you representing a nation eternally grateful to you, individually and collectively, for the extraordinary support and partnership you continue to extend to us in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Tomorrow we will bid you farewell, but we shall return. We shall return to brief you on the achievements we are making in the war against the epidemic.

18. We must fight to win the war against HIV/AIDS because defeat is not an option. And if HIV/AIDS poses a threat to humanity, we must do everything in our power to ensure that in the end, humanity will not only triumph but prevail. As Shimon Peres said, "it is permissible for a man to dream - not just any dream, but great dreams." We must dream of a future without the threat of HIV/AIDS. And I believe that together, we can translate that dream into reality.

19. I thank you for your friendship, your partnership and support, and for your patience and willingness to listen to me, earlier today at the Senate Hart Building and tonight at this dinner.