Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Sunday, December 15, 1996 19:40:00 PM

In an accompanying statement, President Clinton describes the report as "a historic document that articulates our national goals and establishes a blueprint for achieving them."

The six goals are to: develop a cure for HIV/AIDS and a vaccine to prevent further infections; reduce and eliminate new infections; guarantee victims access to health care and other services; fight AIDS-related discrimination; provide continuing support for international efforts against the disease; and ensure that scientific advances are quickly translated into improved care and prevention.

The AIDS advocacy group ACT UP, which obtained a copy of the report and gave it to Reuters, sharply criticized the plan, saying it lacked vision and ignored controversial but key issues, such as whether a ban on federal funding for needle-exchange programs should be lifted.

"It's almost like an admission that we've lost the war," ACT UP spokesman Steve Michael said. "This plan lacks vision. We need a real national strategy, like what President Kennedy did with his campaign to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade" of the 1960s.

Officials of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, which drafted the report, were not immediately available for comment, but a White House spokeswoman confirmed the document was due for release this week.

In his statement, Clinton speaks of the "tremendous progress" made so far in understanding the disease, improving treatment and preventing infection. He notes that federal funding for AIDS research, prevention, care and housing has been boosted by more than 50 percent in his first term in office.

But Michael said the strategy did not even discuss the impact on AIDS victims of the welfare reform bill Clinton signed in August, legislation he said would have a devastating impact on the lives of people suffering from the disease.

He said the government also lacked a coordinated research strategy and lamented that the document did not call for a Cabinet-level AIDS czar.

"You can't fight the war on AIDS with paper soldiers," Wayne Turner, also of ACT UP, said.

Patricia Fleming, Clinton's national AIDS policy director, strikes a hopeful tone in the foreword to the report, concluding: "The National AIDS Strategy provides a foundation for the continuing public-private partnerships that are essential to our success in ending this epidemic. ... Together, with steadfast commitment, courage and leadership, we will win the battle against HIV and AIDS."
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