Tobacco Documents Online

INFO T'AB FA APPENDIX E CSIMILE TRANSMISSION Date : 17th July, 1991 To: Mr J Bevan Rothmans Aylesbury Fax No. 0044-296-433793 Mr R C Hancock Rothmans Aylesbury 0044-296-28662 Mr M Gamal B & W Dubai 04-271805 Mr R Galgut B.A.T. Dubai 04-522966 Mr H Dymond B.A.T. Southampton 0044-703-780332 Mr M Whitehead Gallaher, Weybridge 0044-932-8522371 Mr B G Baroudi Philip Morris Dubai 04-520782 Mr J Guarino Philip Morris Lausanne 0041-21-618-4618 Mr E F Touma R.J. Reynolds Geneva 0041-22-703-0275 Mr S Saad Mr M Oldman I , I 1 I , I # Infotab London u n N 0044-81-569-7033 cc: Mr I Morton Tobacco Exporters Int'l, Oman 00968-793037 From : Robin Allen, Infotab, Dubai Total Pages (Including this page) : 3 ~ Subject : Action Plan for Oman (Ref m j~report dated 9 June 1991) 1) In the report referred to above (Clause B, paras 1, 3, 4 & 5), I made suggestions relating to an Industry Body and how META companies might better protect their legitimate interests. 2) I should now like to take this a step further taking as the starting point my reference in the above report Clause B, para 5 where I said : "I should like to suggest that individual companies should - of their own volition - publicly disassociate themselves from the notion..... that the industry encourages the under- 18s to smoke - by stating that they neither indulge in nor condone or approve sales or give-aways aimed at the under-18s". For any queries regarding this message, please call (971-)84-55707 P.O. Box No.16965, Jebel All, Dubai, U.A.E. Tel: (971-) 84-55707 Fax: (971-) 84-55187

3) I think it is important - and Oman is a good place to start - that the industry through individual META companies should each make it clear to the Health Ministry - particularly Dr. Al-Bualy the Director-General of Curative Service & Professor of Paediatrics at the Ministry of Health and his kindred spirits - and to the Commerce Ministry - that he (the company) is actively moving against illegal users of Trade marks and companies that push sales of fake goods bearing META company logos. 4) There is no doubt that Dr. Al-Bualy is "leading the charge" against the industry, to use the phrase of Mr. Ian Morton, TEI Muscat, who has kindly appraised me of his meeting last month with him. 5) All, however, is not gloom. Mr. Morton reports that his visit - the first by a representative of a Tobacco company - was warmly welcomed by Dr. Al-Bualy. 6) Dr. Al-Bualy made the following points: -he is tolerant of the industry and respects their rights to manufacture and market a legal product in a competitive environment. -he respects the rights of an adult to smoke and his right as an individual. -his campaign is directed at Omanis rather than foreigners, and particularly at Oman's children. 4 -he is very concerned at Omani children's exposure to advertising and products which "entice" them to smoke. [And this is where the "cowboys" affect us with their fake-goods and toy cars and childrens' clothing branded with tobacco company logos, chocolate cigarettes etc.] -he is willing to participate in discussions with the industry to limit the activities mentioned above. -he does not fully support the "wvar" approach of WHO; rather he believes there is much to gain from a dialogue. 7) This pro-active policy in Oman should I suggest be twinned with similar overtures by each member company to the same ministries in the UAE - and to Health departments at Emirate level - as part of the Oman-UAE Industry body. N Lli CS ~ W ~ ~ G7

8) META companies also through and with their Oman representatives, distributors, agents, and advertising agents, need to recover "good-will" with the Health authorities who continue to drag the industry's name through the mud on the sole evidence of biased anti-industry lobbies AND with the "help" of Thai and Taiwanese etc fake-goods companies which continue to have a field-day at our expense. 9) The industry's point of view - through individual companies - is not getting through to the authorities, which therefore willingly or unwittingly lend credence to the hostile statements of the opposition which gains daily by default. 10) I stress these points now in a period where although we have, for the time being at least, won a reprieve on the "political" front - that is to say the delaying of any Omani move to ban Tobacco advertising through the written published news media - the fact remains a) we have lost good-will and remain vulnerable to ad ban pressure and b) META companies have lost from the ban on premiums. But the reprieve may be short-lived. 11) I would welcome any comments which will be followed through by the META offices here and through the chair company even though I am away from July 19 - August 22. 12) We need to make efforts to recover ground. Silence from us incriminates us. Best regards. Robin Allen