Negotiators from 135 nations sealed Wednesday a global deal to stem the illegal tobacco trade, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

The Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), which supervised the drafting of the treaty text, estimates governments lose up to USD 50 billion (EUR 38 billion) a year in tax revenue from the illicit trade in tobacco products. It estimates that at least 10 perc ent of global cigarette sales result from smuggling cigarettes.
Some 19 nations, including Argentina, Indonesia, Switzerland and the United States, are not signatories to the treaty.
The protocol is to be taken up by 174 WHO member nations when they meet in Seoul, South Korea, on 12-17 November. 40 ratifications will be needed for it to enter into force. The WHO says it could then take up to five years to put the illicit tobacco tracking system into place.
The treaty would require signatory states to establish a tracking mechanism that could help detect and investigate any illegal trade in tobacco products.
Companies involved in the trade, including agents, suppliers and tobacco manufacturers, would have to be licensed under the deal. Manufacturers would also have to carry out checks on their customers to ensure that they are genuine or if they have associations with criminal organisations.
The products themselves would have identification markings showing where they were produced, when they were produced and who were their first customers.
Tobacco companies were barred from participating in the discussions because of concerns they might try to influence the negotiations. (pi)