Five countries announced an initiative Tuesday called UNITAID to raise at least $300 million next year to fund drug treatments for children with AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. The countries - France, Brazil, Britain, Norway and Chile - plan to combine their assets and have asked former U.S. President Bill Clinton to negotiate with drug companies for generic drugs at volume discounts.

France will use proceeds from an airline ticket tax that went into effect in July to contribute about $250 million in 2007. A dozen more countries are considering taxing their airline tickets so they can take part in the initiative. The United States has rejected the idea of imposing an airline tax to fund a health program, but is working on a global AIDS program of its own.

Britain will contribute about $25 million next year, taken from its foreign aid and budget, and plans to triple the amount by 2010.

Organizers said that UNITAID hopes to be able to buy AIDS drugs next year for 200,000 HIV-positive children and also plans to treat 150,000 children with tuberculosis and over 28 million with malaria.

Clinton said at a news conference at UN headquarters, "None of this would be possible if it weren't the ability UNITAID gives us ... to go out to the people who provide medicine and other life saving equipment and material and say 'You have a guaranteed stream of payment, you will be promptly paid, now give us a higher volume and a lower profit margin."