[Intl-tobacco] Industry view on FCTC negotiations

[Robert Weissman]

OPTIMISM AS CRUCIAL TOBACCO DEBATE ROLLS ON

Source: Travel Retail World
Date: 2002-10-23
URL: http://www.travelretailworld.com/News.asp?Action=View&ID=1538
ID: 106643

The message from Geneva may be mixed, but campaigners say the
industry must remain positive if it is to succeed in overturning
the World Health Organisation's (WHO) move to ban duty-free
tobacco sales. Speaking at a TFWA World Exhibition tobacco
workshop, International Travel Retail Confederation
director-general Keith Spinks and International Association of
Airport Duty Free Stores' Washington lobbyist Jon Kent reported
that delegates to the fifth round of WHO negotiations are no
closer to reaching a consensus on the crucial issue. Another
negotiating session will take place from February 17 - 28 before
the final treaty is ratified in May. "This is both good and bad
news as there is still much work to be done," said Kent.
Countries still coming out in favour of a duty-free tobacco ban
are mainly in Africa, the Caribbean, India and parts of
southeast Asia.

The most disheartening news to emerge from the talks is that the
European Commision called for a reinstatement of the original
text, which called for an outright ban rather than the current
draft of "progressively restricting, with a view to
prohibiting". However, Spinks said that the Commission had no
authority to issue that statement as European delegates were
clearly torn on the issue in last month's regional discussions.
 .

But Kent urged the industry to remain positive and for those
companies still not involved to contact the governments in their
respective countries before it is too late. "I still think we
can win this," he told the audience. Attendees were urged to
step up individual lobbying actions by their companies.