国际英语新闻：Obama apologizes for infecting Guatemalans with sexual diseases

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday extended his apology for purposely infecting Guatemalans with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in a research study in the 1940s.

In a phone call with Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, Obama expresses "his deep regret regarding the study conducted by the U. S. Public Health Service in the 1940s on sexually transmitted disease inoculation" and extends an apology to all those affected, the White House said.

Obama reaffirmed the United States' "unwavering commitment to ensure that all human medical studies conducted today meet exacting U.S. and international legal and ethical standards," the White House said, adding that he also "underscored the United States' deep respect for the people of Guatemala and the importance of our bilateral relationship."

In the research study, U.S. government medical researchers intentionally infected hundreds of people in Guatemala, including institutionalized mental patients, with gonorrhea and syphilis without their knowledge or permission, the MSNBC television network said in its website, noting that many of those infected were encouraged to pass the infection onto others as part of the study.

Earlier Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius apologized for the "clearly unethical" act conducted in 1946-1948, saying a thorough investigation is underway.