Countries should urgently develop and implement comprehensive tobacco control strategies, including legislation and support drafting and ratification of the framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC), an international conference on the issue in New Delhi has recommended.The strategies should address smuggling, advertising,promotion, packaging and labelling of tobacco products and all countries should adopt the FCTC by 2003, said the New Delhi declaration of World Health Organisation's (WHO) three-day conference on tobacco control that concluded on Sunday.FCTC is a global legal instrument to be put in place by WHO and will be finally adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2003. FCTC should include mechanisms to assist developing countries where public health resources are limited and forces against tobacco control measures are strong. It should also take into account the complex problems of developing nations in implementing control measures, the declaration said.- (Reuters & Agencies)
