Condoms championed as weapon against AIDS

SCIENTISTS, activists and policymakers yesterday touted condoms as a trusted weapon in the fight against Aids, dismissing President George Bush’s policy of abstinence as a “serious setback” in global efforts to control the pandemic.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was the only big-name speaker at the International Aids Conference in Bangkok to support the ABC policy of the United States: Abstinence, Being faithful and Condoms.

Museveni said loving relationships based on trust were crucial, and that “the principle of condoms is not the ultimate solution”.