In January, the US Congress authorized a maximum 547 million dollars for the AIDS fund created two years ago by the United Nations. However, the measure limits the US contribution to one-third of the total given by other governments and private contributors.

As of the cutoff date of July 1, the worldwide contribution to the AIDS fund fell 240 billion dollars short of 1.1 billion, Tobias was quoted as saying by The New York Times on Thursday.

"I don't have an explanation for why other countries have not stepped up to the magnitude that is needed," Tobias said, adding that he has extended the deadline to September 30 in the hope donators will respond.

The European Union and Italy are expected to make large donations by the deadline, a fund spokesman said.

Since it was created in 2002, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS has raised about three billion dollars instead of the 30 billion projected. Its biggest contributors have been the United States (983 billion), EU (450 billion), France (300 million), Japan (246 million), Italy (215 million), Britainmillion) and the Netherlands (100 million).

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