Saudi Arabia will sue international tobacco companies if they do not pay the health ministry and patients the full cost of treating of tobacco-related illnesses, country's health ministry said.
The health ministry has rejected an offer of compensation proposed by tobacco firms, the ministry said in a statement published on Wednesday on its Web site.
The ministry did not say how much it was seeking or where any law suit would be filed. It did not name any companies.
Philip Morris, British American Tobacco Plc and Altadis are among the foreign firms that sell tobacco products in Saudi Arabia.