President Thabo Mbeki has "never" denied a link between HIV and AIDS, the South African government said Thursday.
The statement by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) followed a press report Thursday that the health committee of Mbeki's African National Congress wanted him and Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to publicly acknowledge that HIV causes AIDS.
GCIS said that "neither the President nor his Cabinet colleagues have ever denied a link between HIV and AIDS."
An interview with Mbeki published in Time magazine on September 11 could have led to misunderstanding on the president's position, GCIS said.
In the interview, Mbeki is asked: "Are you prepared to acknowledge that there is a link between HIV and AIDS?"
He responded: "No, I am saying that you cannot attribute immune deficiency solely and exclusively to a virus."
GCIS said Mbeki's use of the word "no" was "generic or non-specific" and "could give rise to a misunderstanding."
It said: "The context of the full transcript makes it expressly clear that he was prepared to accept that HIV might 'very well' be a causal factor."
Mbeki has been widely criticized for consulting with dissident scientists who do not believe HIV is the only cause of AIDS and for not distributing anti-retroviral drugs which could reduce mother-to-infant transmission of the virus -- JOHANNESBURG(AFP)
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