AIDS conference chief lashes out at world leaders

Julio Montaner—the president of the International AIDS Society and chairman of the AIDS 2010 conference—says the G-8 group of rich nations has failed to deliver on a pledge to guarantee so-called universal access.

Montaner also accused governments from some Eastern European states of indifference to the dire situations in their countries and said their absence at the Vienna meeting was "irresponsible to the point of criminal negligence."

He spoke Sunday shortly before the opening ceremony of the weeklong conference that is expected to draw thousands of experts, advocates and policymakers.