[Intl-tobacco] BAT likes the FCTC Chair´s text... "more of a policy guide"

[Robert Weissman]

Notes from Ross Hammond and Clive Bates on BAT's disturbingly warm
comments about the Framework Convention -- 


From: Ross Hammond <margross@igc.org>


BAT Chief Martin Broughton had some additional comments last week about the
Chair´s text (online at:
http://www.cantos.com/system/Transcript/interview-transcript.jhtml;jsessioni
d=RF1KZMCJCSFLDQFIMUKCELWAVBSR2IMO?storyId100031)


Q. The World Health Organisation’s draft on tobacco control, what’s your
stance here?


A. I think it’s still early days to tell you the truth. They are looking to
me to be trying to get a compromise between, sort of, the hard line
countries that want specific and strong anti-tobacco legislation,
regulation, and the other countries which I think have a more logical
approach which says leave us some more flexibility on how we handle our
situation. The WHO seems to see the whole world as one, which is nonsense.
Different countries are at different stages, different countries need to
have their own mechanisms for controlling tobacco. I think the
convention as
it’s looking, looks like coming out giving quite a lot of flexibility. So,
it’s looking to be a more sensible draft now than it was some time ago, but
it´s still work in progress.

-----Original Message-----
From: Clive Bates 


BAT posted its interim results today. [July 30 - ed] (www.bat.com)

But here´s what it has to say about the FCTC and its corporate social
responsibility initiative...



Clive -----


 Turning from litigation to regulation, the World Health
Organisation has recently released a new draft of its
Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, which is scheduled
for completion in May 2003.  The new wording allows countries
to use the Convention more as a policy guide than as a set of
absolute rules that take precedence over their own laws and
their own policy priorities.  The new text will be negotiated
in October and may be significantly amended as the whole
convention is still very much work in progress.

British American Tobacco´s support for sound but fair tobacco
regulation and the Group´s real desire to contribute to
reducing the impact of tobacco consumption on public health is
made clear in our first Social Report.  The Report is fairly
long but, being our first, we felt that we should thoroughly
explain what we are doing and cover all the main issues.
Future reports should be shorter and will be published on our
website, www.bat.com, rather than being sent to all
shareholders.  We will, of course, continue to send future
reports to any shareholder who would like to have a copy and
we very much welcome your comments on this major new initiative.

In September, shareholders will also be receiving a copy of a
publication to mark the Group´s centenary, a considerable
milestone in an age where it is popular to say that change
itself is the only true constant.  It is all the more
remarkable since Buck Duke, our founder, would readily
recognise the enterprise he created in the British American
Tobacco of today.  Duke and his successors built a great
business and the current generation of management remains
determined to live up to his expectations, as we do our best
to get the next 100 years off to a good start.