Khartoum � Resistance from airlines was not enough to stop 13 countries from signing a pact in Paris on Wednesday to adopt an air ticket tax to help poor countries fight HIV/Aids.

The 13 counties are Brazil, Britain, Chile, Congo, Cyprus, France, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mauritius, Nicaragua and Norway.

Imposing such a levy, which is essentially a tax on travel, is a sensitive issue and a further 25 countries opted to rather contribute to the funds raised by the tax through different means.

The money will be used to purchase generic drugs.