Defiant French puff on

2006-04-14 13:00

Paris - Relieved French smokers can muse that every cloud has a silver lining as they enjoy a cigarette at the bar with their morning coffee.

The government, weakened by a battle with unions and students over a controversial youth jobs contract, backed away from a ban on smoking in bars and restaurants this week to avoid a confrontation with France's many smokers and tobacconists.

The image of Parisian cafes filled with smoke from pungent Gauloise cigarettes has changed since Socialists forced hostelries to clean up their act in the 1990s, but the idea of a total ban in public places is still a source of controversy.

"Sell Out!" fumed anti-smoking campaigners who accused the government of sacrificing the health of millions.

But smokers, taxed to their filter tips in recent years, quietly puffed their approval after what they saw as a surprise last-minute reprieve.

"I love my daily coffee and cigarette," said Louisa Bunz, 47, as she smoked in a central Paris bar.

The idea of making restaurants tobacco-free and forcing smokers into hermetic, ventilated phone box-style cabins without drinks and food was ridiculous, she said.

"It would be like a little smokers' prison cell," she said.

The government said on Wednesday it was delaying legislation to ban smoking in public places, and called for months of consultations. Two days earlier it had abandoned plans for a new jobs contract to make it easier to hire and fire young people.

- Reuters