Pubdate: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 Source: Reuter White House shifts strategy on tobacco deal By Laurence McQuillan WASHINGTON (Reuter) President Clinton is expected to push soon for tough modifications in the landmark tobacco accord but may delay disclosing some of the specific changes he wants, administration officials said Saturday. In a shift in White House strategy, Clinton no longer is expected to give a complete, detailed assessment of the $386.5 billion agreement between the tobacco industry and 40 state attorneys general, officials said. Instead, Clinton most likely on Wednesday will announce a call for changes to ensure that the Food and Drug Administration has unquestioned authority to regulate nicotine as a drug a concern he already has voiced publicly. He also is expected to seek harsher penalties on the industry if the targets in the agreement for reducing youth smoking are not met, officials said. Clinton, however, is expected to refrain from offering what one official described as ``a linebyline approach'' on desired changes in the complex agreement reached in June. ``He'll certainly forcefully spell out what he wants,'' one senior administration official said, ``but he may not dot every i.'' Another senior official stressed that ``this is only one chapter in the overall fight'' to contain smoking by young people. ``This is an important step, an important battle, but it is not the whole war.'' A special task force has been examining the historic agreement, under which the industry has said it would pay out $386.5 billion in exchange for protection from liability lawsuits related to smoking. Although the agreement was negotiated by the states and industry representatives, much of it requires enactment of federal laws in order to be carried out thereby making Clinton and Congress essential players. When the accord was first reached, White House strategists had been predicting that a complete detailed assessment would be released within 30 days. Once the review began, and public health interests raised concerns with various aspects of the agreement, the timetable was pushed back. Clinton on Friday received his first detailed assessment by the task force which was jointly headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala and White House domestic policy adviser Bruce Reed. Clinton met for two hours Saturday in the White House residence with a broad range of senior officials including Vice President Al Gore and Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. The session was described by spokeswoman Julie Green as a ''discussion of longterm policy'' and did not involve ''decision making'' on tobacco or other issues facing the administration. Republican congressional leaders have criticized Clinton for moving too slowly on tobacco, and have said action on a tobacco bill is unlikely before next year. Emboldened by several recent antitobacco votes in Congress, antismoking forces in the Senate have been calling for tougher terms for the tobacco industry under any legislation. Sen. Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, on Friday called for the $368.5 billion settlement deal to be doubled, to provide stronger incentives for youths not to smoke and to help reimburse the federal government for the smokingrelated costs incurred by Medicare and other health programs.