Tobacco Documents Online

Ths General Secretariat of the Arab Gulf States Health Ministers Council In the Name of God the Merciful lhe Compassionate Minutas of the Meeting of the Anti-Smoking Committee Riyadh 9.4.1988 At the invitation of the Secretary General, the Anti-Smoking Committee of the General Secretariat of the Arab Gulf States Health Ministers Council met in Riyadh on 9.4.1988. The Secretary General attended part of the k meeting and so did the Assistant Secretary General for Saudi Arabia Dr. Yacoub A1-Mazrou'i. Present at the meeting were the GCC member countries', delegates to the committee: Dr. Muhammad Al-Khatib for the State of Bahrain Dr. Abdul Latif Khader for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dr. Hussein A1-Mu'men for the State of Kuwait Mrs. Shari'a Maarafi for the State of Kuwait The meeting started by reviewing the preliminary agenda which was approved as in Appendxx 1. Then the relevant resolutions of previous Health Ministers Council Conferences were reviewed. These were Resolution No. 4 of the 20th Conference, Resolution No. 5 of the 22nd Conference and Resolution No. 5 of the 24th Conference, Letters received by the Secretary General from the State of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman were also reviewed. These letters related to the follow up on the implementation of tha above resolutions. The conferees concluded to the following: First: The conferees updated the information available at the General Secretariat on follow up on the implementation of the above-listed resolutions of the AGSHMC conferences (Appendix No. 2), In this respect the delegate of the State of Bahrain pointed out what is mentioned in his letter to the Secretary General of the penetration of large quantities of cigarettes through unofficial (i.e. illicit) channels since the increase in the customs duty on cigarettes in Bahrain on 1.1.1988. This flow originating from neighbouring countries that have not implemented an increase in duty on cigarettes. The Kuwaiti delegate to the meeting pointed out that discussion of the increase in the import duty on cigarettes at the General, Secretariat had tied the increase to the unanimous agreement of all member countries' Ministries of Commerce and Industry which led to a delay in the implementation of the increase. 2501040581

The conferees recommended that the General Secretariat of the AGSFiMC (or Bureau) addresses the GCC General Secretariat to speed up the agreement on the aubject. Secondc The Bahraini delegate presented to the conferees some packs available on the Bahrain market, some of which contain 5 cigarettes only and others with 25 cigarettes. The Kuwaiti delegate reported that small packs are given out as gifts or give-aways in Kuwait. In this respect the conferees reaffirmed the implementation of previous resolutions and recommendations passed by the AGSHMC to ban the sale of packs with more than 20 cigarettes and the distribution of cigarette packs as give aways and free samples and to prohibit other similar means by which cigarette companies seek to promote tobacco and tobacco products. Thirds With respect to the Smoking Eradication Law, the Bahraini delegate reported that the draft law is currently being reviewed by legal experts in preparation for its issuance. Other attendees indicated that although the law has not been passed as initially proposed the smoking restrictions already adopted in their countries have covered most of the elements contained in the draft law. The conferees saw that the alternative to passing the proposed law would be that individual countries suggest the specific smoking restrictions and executive decisions and instructions for their implementation and the penalties for violators. Fourth: The letter addressed to the Secretary General by the Ministry of Health in the State of Kuwait (No. S A/2601 dated 8.3.1988, Appendix No. 3) was presented. The letter relates to the debate which was raised on tar and nicotine levels in "Barclay" cigarettes which contain filters with channel ventilation, and the non-compliance of these levels with what is stated on the pack when these cigarettes are tested in the laboratory with the vents of the filter blocked, which usually happens when the cigarette is smoked by human beings. In this respect, the Committee reviewed the minutes of its previous meeting held in Doha on 5-6 October 1986 and in which the optimal method that could be adopted by member countries to determine tar and nicotine was discussed. At that meeting, the Committee had summed up by considaring the method of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) as a basis for testing cigarettes in member countries and recommended its adoption, with the knowledge of the Gulf Standards and Metrology Organisation (GSMO), as Gulf standards (this was endoresed by Res. No. 5 of the 22nd Conference of the AGSHMC held in Baghdad in January 1987). The delegate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented a working paper on the optimum method he proposes to test cigarettes that have filters with channels or holes or what is called the Actron filter... because estimating tar and nicotine in such cigarettes using ISO methods does not produce identical results to what the smoker receives from the cigarette when he actually smokes it... because the effect of the dilution air observed when the cigarette is smoked by the smoking machine does not materialisa when the cigarette is smoked by human beings. This is because the channels and holes in the filter are blocked by the smoker's lips. r 2501a4s5s2

The conferees recommend for the testing of such cigarettes that they be tested once on the smoking machine and the results recorded, and then repeat the test after blocking the channels and holes with a glue substa.ncee free from organic dissolvents. 0 'Phe arithmatic average of both test results is then calculated to be the final result of the (tar and nicotine) content. In any event, the nicotine and tar content per cigarette (even with the channels and holes blocked) should not exceed 0.8 mg. and 12 mg. respectively. During the meeting, the Gulf Standards and Metrology Organisation (GSMO) was contacted to inquire whether it had previously studied or is currently studying this matter so that recommendations would not conflict... officials at GSMO reported that this has not yet been done... thus the conferees agreed that if the Council agrees to the proposal, it would be submitted as a recommendation to GSMO for its consideration. At the end of the meeting, the Bahraini delegate complimented the cooperation that exists between Bahrain and the Central Laboratory for Analysis of Drugs and ?ood in Riyadh which is regularly testing cigarettes received from Bahrain. .. The meeting ended at 3:00 p.m.