Former House members to chair Council for AIDS Relief

Former U.S. representatives J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) and Eva Clayton (D-N.C.) have been appointed to serve as cochairs of the new Council for AIDS Relief, an organization founded by the Corporate Council on Africa to lobby for support of President Bush's proposed international AIDS initiative, CongressDaily reports. Watts said that while there "are legitimate differences of opinion on how best to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, in the end we must put people before politics and do what it takes to help our brothers and sisters in Africa." Clayton added, "We have a social, moral, and economic obligation to seek immediate emergency relief on the continent. It is now up to us to educate members of Congress and the American people regarding what is happening and what must be done to stop it." Other new council members include Mary Kanya, Swaziland's ambassador to the United States, who will serve as vice chair representing African nations; Julius Coles, president of Africare, who will serve as vice chair representing the nonprofit community; and Stephen Hayes, president of CCA, who will serve as the council's president.