White House refuses to release millions of contraceptives from Belgian warehouse
A diplomatic offensive by Belgium has failed to secure the release of millions of condoms and HIV inhibitors from a US government agency USAID, De Standaard and Gazet van Antwerpen reported on Friday.
Since the start of this year, a large stock of USAID contraceptives and medicines has been stored in a warehouse in Geel, Belgium. This includes over 26 million condoms, millions of packages of oral, injectable and implantable contraceptives, and more than 50,000 bottles of HIV inhibitors, with a total value of 8.4 million euros.
USAID was due to distribute these medicines and contraceptives to partner countries with inadequate healthcare systems. However, in January, US president Donald Trump stopped USAID's funding, and the agency was dismantled a month later. Since then, the stock in Geel has been blocked.
In an attempt to prevent the stock from being destroyed by incineration, the Belgian ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a diplomatic offensive in recent months. Foreign minister Maxime Prévot sent a letter to his US counterpart, Marco Rubio.
'Fundamental policy differences'
"We have also actively mediated between the US and interested third parties who want to take over the stock," a ministry spokesperson told De Standaard.These efforts proved futile. "We continue to encounter fundamental policy differences with the US,'" the spokesperson said. It is unclear what will happen to the medical stock now.
"The US side provided information about the possible destruction and location of the stock, which, in hindsight, was incorrect"
"Washington considers certain contraceptives to be aids to abortion, which makes transfer impossible in their view. Although scientific evidence contradicts this, that interpretation remains decisive for them," said the spokesperson.
"In addition, the US side provided information about the possible destruction and location of the stock, which, in hindsight, was incorrect," they added. The Foreign ministry declined to comment on what incorrect information was disseminated by Washington.
#FlandersNewsService | The warehouse of transport and logistics company Kuehne + Nagel in Geel, Belgium, where the USAID contraceptives were stored © PHOTO KATE GILLAM / AFP
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