France puts smoking ban on the back burner - by Kim Willsher
The tobacco-loving French will be allowed to carry on puffing their Gitanes and Gauloise in smoky bars and bistros after the government caved in on plans to ban smoking in public places. Ministers, who had already abandoned a controversial youth employment contract after street protests and violence, were accused of "cowardice" by anti-smoking campaigners. Existing laws require cafés and restaurants to establish clearly separated smoking and non-smoking areas. Fed up with these rules being widely ignored, opponents had pinned their hopes on an outright ban.
However, on Wednesday, soon after the government's climbdown on the labour law reform, Mr Bertrand performed a U-turn. Instead of outlawing smoking, he announced a "vast consultation" on the issue, to be conducted over the next few months.
President Jacques Chirac's Right-of-centre government had promised to push a decree to this effect through parliament.
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