Edla Lula
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Brasília – The first conference of the Framework Convention on Control of Tobacco began this week in Geneva and will run until February 17. The principal objective of the meeting is to reduce smoking around the world and protect people from the diseases caused by tobacco.

The framework convention on tobacco idea has been around since a World Health Organization assembly in 1996. It was adopted only in February of last year when 40 countries finally ratified it. Brazil joined the convention last December.

Despite being a late arrival, Brazil has always been an active player in dealing with the issue of tobacco and its problems. As the world's second biggest tobacco producer, and the biggest exporter of tobacco, Brazil led negotiations on the convention between October 2000 and November 2001, when the present Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, was the country's representative in Geneva. The present rep in Geneva, Luiz Felipe Seixas Corrêa, presided over the final negociations between March 2002 and May 2003.

Brazilian domestic legislation on smoking has been called exemplar by the WHO. "Brazil is committed to reducing smoking and its activities in this area have received worldwide recognition," says Mariangela Rebua, of the Foreign Ministry.

Translation: Allen Bennett