"We believe that it is a good one both for asbestos victims and for companies."

For years, courts have tried to find ways to resolve the huge number of cases brought by asbestos victims.

For the moment, the only certain winner in this struggle to offer justice to asbestos victims is Washington's lobbying industry.

Under that plan, half of its stock will go to a trust fund to compensate asbestos victims.

In addition, Manville will pay at least $2.5 billion over the next 26 years to provide compensation to asbestos victims.

"All of the available policy dollars will be there for asbestos victims and claimants."

The more seriously ill asbestos victims, those with cancer and other diseases, would get 45 percent of what the trust had been paying.

Those remain with an independent trust set up to pay asbestos victims that became the majority owner of company in 1988.

The new compensation scheme, which is expected to be announced within a few weeks, would separate asbestos victims into two categories.

I am referring, of course, to the very high number of asbestos victims.