BANGKOK, May 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Thailand is now fully prepared to host the 15th International AIDS meeting in July, Charal Trinvuthipong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, announced Monday.

    Charal Trinvuthipong was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying Monday that the leaders of six nations -- China, India, Russia, Nigeria, Brazil and Uganda -- had already confirmed their attendance at the meeting, which will run from July 11 to 16 at the Impact Convention Center in Bangkok's suburban province of Nonthaburi.

    The high profile meeting will also feature an appearance from United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

    Caral said that Thailand would benefit not only in terms of enhancing its reputation, but would also gain in economic terms, not least from the enormous tourism potential of hosting over 25,000 participants.

    Thailand was selected to host the meeting due to its exemplary record in battling the HIV virus.

    As recently as 1991, Thailand had 140,000 new AIDS cases from sexual relations, but by 2002 this figure had dropped to 21,000, in large part due to concerted campaigns to encourage the use of condoms in brothels.

    A survey conducted last year suggested that 98 percent of brothel customers now used condoms.

    Recently, however, there has been a shift in focus away from the sex industry and toward other sexual relations.

    Research suggested that only around 34 percent of sexually active Thais are condom users, a figure which the government wantsto see be raised to at least 54 percent by next year. Enditem