U.S. EMBASSIES TOLD NOT TO PUSH TOBACCO

New York -- The U.S. State Department has barred its embassies worldwide
from helping U.S. tobacco companies sell their products overseas, according
to a published report Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal said it had obtained a copy of the order, contained
in a cable sent in February, and it instructs embassies not to promote the
sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products overseas. This policy
contrasts sharply with the 1980s and early 1990s. when U.S. diplomats
championed tobacco as a U.S. export, the newspaper said.

The cable, dated Feb. 14, also directs U.S. diplomatic posts to support,
rather than challenge, local anti-smoking laws and regulations that may
reduce U.S. tobacco company sales, so long as they are applied in a
nondiscriminatory manner to both imported and domestic tobacco," the Journal
wrote.

Until now, the paper said, there have been no written rules telling U.S.
diplomats overseas how to handle tobacco companies on issues ranging from
sales promotion to trade cases.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett