Washington - The US Attorney General, Mr John Ashcroft, has ordered officials to achieve a settlement in the US government's multibillion-dollar action against the tobacco industry. The surprise move is not to be seen as a capitulation, the Justice Department claims, but critics condemned it as an admission of weakness and say it reflects both Mr Ashcroft's and President Bush's longstanding opposition to the litigation, writes Patrick Smyth.
Filed in September 1999, the lawsuit seeks to recover $20 billion in federal healthcare costs for Medicare patients, veterans, and federal employees.