Mining: Zimbabwe to resume limited diamond exports Monday July, 19, 2010
The Zimbabwean government and the KP diamond certification scheme had on Thursday evening finalized an agreement in St Petersburg, Russia to allow the country export a limited number of diamonds produced in Marange since May 28. Exports of these diamonds would be allowed until early September, after which any exports would be dependent on human rights improvements in the diamonds fields. Diamond exports from Zimbabwe had been suspended, owing to the continued reports of human rights abuses by security forces. The KP review mission would continue to assess conditions in the region and Zimbabwe’s compliance with the KP scheme’s standards. The KP regulators last month failed to reach a consensus regarding whether it should allow exports from the country to resume, despite its monitor in the country saying that Zimbabwe was complying with the scheme’s minimum standards. Global Witness and PAC stated that the agreement could pave the way for reinforced oversight of diamond production in Zimbabwe and could help end abuses by security forces, if it was fully implemented. However, PAC spokesperson Nadim Kara noted in a statement that the agreement was far from perfect and would require considerable efforts from all parties, and especially Zimbabwe, to make it work. “The ball is now in Zimbabwe's court to make good on its promises and act to end one of the most egregious cases of diamond-related violence for many years. We fervently hope that the governments in the Kimberley Process will, for their part, hold Zimbabwe to its commitments in order to begin to restore the battered integrity of the scheme,” Global Witness representative Annie Dunnebacke added. |
|
 |