JAKARTA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) - Indonesia is considering appealing the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s recent ruling that supported the U.S. ban on imports of clove cigarettes, the Jakarta Post quoted a minister as saying on Tuesday.

"We have not taken any position on the ruling and we'll have 60 days to convey our position. We'll study the ruling, such as the scientific evidence regarding whether flavored cigarettes encourage teenagers to smoke," Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu told a press conference at her office on Monday.

The WTO judges concluded in their report on Friday that a U.S. ban on clove cigarettes aimed at preventing teenagers from smoking was discriminatory as clove and menthol-flavored cigarettes were " like products".

However, they said Indonesia had failed to prove the ban was unnecessary, saying that the ban was a legitimate approach to prevent teenagers from smoking.

The Trade Ministry's Director General for International Trade Cooperation Gusmardi Bustami said that the government would do everything in its power to ensure clove cigarettes could enter the U.S. market again.

September 6, 2011

Source: Xinhua News

• US tariff threats over forced labour 'unjustified', Commission says
• US Section 301 Forced Labor Investigation: New Trade Compliance Risks for Viet Nam Exporters
• US cites forced labor concerns as grounds for new tariffs
• Aquatic products face challenge of maintaining market share in US
• Viet Nam extends anti-dumping duties on some Thai sugar products to 2031