WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will ask a federal judge to make public proposed statements about tobacco warnings, the Wall Street Journal reports. Cigarette companies do not want the statements publicized now.

"It was our understanding that this would be publicly filed, but there is a difference of opinion on that," said Charles Miller, agency spokesman.

The Justice Department is asking U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler, who decided five years ago that tobacco companies defied federal racketeering laws when they deceived the public on the dangers of smoking. One of the requirements from that ruling was that cigarette manufacturers publish statements relating the dangers of smoking on TV and packaging, and in newspapers and displays at retail.

The agency will suggest language for those corrective statements, but tobacco company attorneys said the DOJ was supposed to ask them before the statements were made public. "We have a meet and confer process that we have been following on a number of issues, as the court knows," said Miguel Estrada, an attorney representing Philip Morris. "I expect we will have the same process when the government gives us their proposal on corrective statements, which we have not seen yet."

The DOJ has expressed its disagreements with the tobacco companies about the corrective statements, saying the companies will be able to convey objections once the statements are proposed.