Veteran singer Dionne Warwick has challenged former U.S. President Bill Clinton to do more to tackle Aids in their native U.S. rather than focusing on helping sufferers abroad.
The star has been a vocal activist in the fight against Aids ever since one of her employees died of the disease in the 1980s, and she appeared at an Aids panel discussion in New York on Monday night (26Sep11) to raise awareness.
Warwick insisted more needs to be done to tackle the illness in local American neighbourhoods in cities such as New York, where former leader Clinton has an office.
The singer went on to announce she wants to set up a meeting with Clinton, who founded the Clinton Health Access Initiative to tackle diseases such as Aids across the world, and urge him to turn his attention to the crisis at home.
She tells the New York Daily News, "He has done an enormous amount of work outside the country... I will confront President Clinton and ask why (he doesn't focus on America)... It's as dire (in the U.S.) as anywhere. (Clinton) can look out of his office window... I want to get an appointment with him... I also want to make it clear that he is concerned about his next-door neighbour."