Q:
A:
State union officials endorse signing of tobacco control convention
Belgrade,
25 May 2004
At a ministerial meeting in Belgrade today, officials of the state union of Serbia-Montenegro endorsed the signing of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Author:
Fonet
At the meeting held under the auspices of President of Serbia-Montenegro Svetozar Marovic, ministers of health of Serbia and Montenegro Tomica Milosalvljevic and Miodrag Pavlicic said that the signing of the convention is a necessary prerequisite for the country's organised fight against smoking.
The deadline for the signing, set by WHO, expires on June 29, and the convention must also be ratified in the Serbia-Montenegrin parliament.
The signing of the convention is one of the conditions for the country's accession to the European Union, but it would also improve the fight against smoking, cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.
President Marovic said that the state union sees the signing of the convention as one its obligations stemming from the country's commitment to bring social relations up to modern world standards.
Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic said that citizens of Serbia-Montenegro mostly suffer from preventable diseases which are caused by irresponsible behaviour, such as smoking.
He said that the Serbian government's plan is to reduce to zero the number of smokers under 15 years of age by 2015, and to reduce by double the number of adult smokers.
Montenegrin Minister of Health Miodrag Pavlicic said that Serbia-Montenegro has 3.5 million smokers, which makes it the world's fifth country by the number of smokers, and the third in Europe - after Greece and Turkey.
WHO representative in Serbia-Montenegro Haik Nikogosian said that smoking is the second major cause of death in southeastern Europe, adding that 1.6 million people died of tobacco-related diseases in 2000.
The deadline for the signing, set by WHO, expires on June 29, and the convention must also be ratified in the Serbia-Montenegrin parliament.
The signing of the convention is one of the conditions for the country's accession to the European Union, but it would also improve the fight against smoking, cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.
President Marovic said that the state union sees the signing of the convention as one its obligations stemming from the country's commitment to bring social relations up to modern world standards.
Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic said that citizens of Serbia-Montenegro mostly suffer from preventable diseases which are caused by irresponsible behaviour, such as smoking.
He said that the Serbian government's plan is to reduce to zero the number of smokers under 15 years of age by 2015, and to reduce by double the number of adult smokers.
Montenegrin Minister of Health Miodrag Pavlicic said that Serbia-Montenegro has 3.5 million smokers, which makes it the world's fifth country by the number of smokers, and the third in Europe - after Greece and Turkey.
WHO representative in Serbia-Montenegro Haik Nikogosian said that smoking is the second major cause of death in southeastern Europe, adding that 1.6 million people died of tobacco-related diseases in 2000.
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