Brussels, 28/09/2000 (Agence Europe) - At a meeting in Brussels, the Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Gro Harlem Brundtland, and Commissioner David Byrne confirmed their commitment to strengthening the two organisations' cooperation in the fight against tobacco addiction that is responsible for over 4 million deaths a year in the world. Negotiations are to begin in Geneva on 16 October on a WHO framework-agreement to combat tobacco addiction, that should tackle essential problems like cross-border advertising, tobacco sponsorship and promotion that is increasingly being aimed at developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The Commission will take an active part in this work.