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Bush Administration's Signing of Global Tobacco Treaty Called Public Relations Maneuver Infact Skeptical that US Will Ratify Groundbreaking Treaty, Calls on US Senate to Act Decisively on Framework Convention on Tobacco Control FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACTS: Boston -- The Bush Administration's decision to sign the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) appears to be the latest in a series of public relations maneuvers to gain positive recognition while working to undermine the world's first public health treaty, according to Infact, a membership organization that holds abusive corporations accountable. Throughout the FCTC negotiating process, the US government consistently took positions that would dilute the treaty at the expense of people's lives in the US and around the world. "Infact is not encouraged by the news that the US is signing this global tobacco treaty. Unfortunately, our government has a history of signing treaties, leveraging its power to weaken the treaties and then never ratifying them. This strikes me as a stunning PR maneuver. We are not holding our breath for the US to ratify the treaty," says Infact Executive Director Kathryn Mulvey. According to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, once a country signs a treaty it is bound to uphold the spirit and intent of the agreement. The US, however, has not followed this practice with other treaties that it has signed. According to an Infact report--Cowboy Diplomacy: How the US Undermines International Environmental, Human Rights, Disarmament and Health Agreements--there is a clear pattern in recent history of the US negotiating down to the lowest common denominator, then failing to support environmental, human rights and other treaties. Treaties that the US has signed and not ratified include: the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Persistent Organic Pollutants Treaty. "The US government has fought the FCTC every step of the way, even while they've publicly claimed to support it," says Mulvey. "Treaties are meant to be ratified. Infact is calling on the US Senate to reverse our country's sad record on international humanitarian agreements and move to ratify the FCTC quickly. Only then will we have seen meaningful progress." Senator Richard Lugar (IN) is Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, the only Congressional committee with the responsibility to review treaties. The FCTC, the world's first public health and corporate accountability treaty, will save millions of lives and change the way the tobacco industry operates globally with or without US involvement. Initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), the FCTC bans tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (such as Philip Morris/Altria's Marlboro Man) and protects public health policy from tobacco industry interference. The treaty sets precedents for international regulation of other industries that threaten health, the environment and human rights such as pharmaceuticals, oil and agribusiness. The tobacco industry is deeply concerned about the impact of the FCTC on its profits and expansion plans. At the annual meeting of tobacco giant Philip Morris/Altria last month, Chair and CEO Louis Camilleri condemned the FCTCs ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. "Philip Morris/Altria has close ties a number of key players in the current US Administration, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and Senior Advisor Karl Rove. Now that the US has signed, will this Administration push for the Senate to ratify quickly during this election year? Infact will be closely monitoring our government's next steps," concludes Mulvey. ### Infact is a membership organization that protects people from irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the globe. For over 25 years, Infact and its members have led the way to protect people and save lives by waging and winning campaigns challenging abusive corporations like Nestlé, GE and Philip Morris/Altria. Visit www.infact.org.
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