Interpol denied observer status at WHO anti-tobacco meeting in Seoul

There were worrying elements to the talks at the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP5) of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, according to a story in The Moodie Report.

The story opened with an account of how the talks on the illicit trade in tobacco had ended without restrictions being imposed on the duty-free industry.

But it then went to say that daily bulletins from the event organizer revealed a climate in which interested parties were denied access to discussions.

‘Interpol – the international police organisation that works to identify, disrupt and dismantle transnational organized networks behind the trafficking in illicit goods – was denied observer status as a result of a donation by Philip Morris International to aid its efforts in the area,’ the story said.

‘And the public were denied access to the closing plenary session for the first time in the FCTC process.’