HARARE The government is clandestinely shipping rough diamonds from the Marange area to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in violation of an agreement reached with the Kimberley Process.
The Brussels-based KP Working Group on Monitoring (WGM) confirmed last week that there had been multiple shipments of rough diamonds moved from Zimbabwe to the UAE during the period December 2009 through April 2010.
Zimbabwe escaped a KP ban last year but was given until June this year to regularise mining operations in Marange and comply with the international diamond watchdogs requirements.
The WGM revelations prompted the Jewellers of America, a coalition of more than 10 000 jewellery retailers in the US, to write to WGM chairperson, Stephane Chardon. They said shipments of diamonds must cease until there is renewed assurance from the Zimbabwean authorities that the country now meets KP standards.
While we are encouraged by the swift action of the chair of the WGM in calling for further investigation, renewed vigilance, and direct KP demarche to the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, among other steps, we feel it is vital to point out that it is not only the commitment of certain participants that has been called into question, but the very credibility of the Kimberley Process itself, said Jewellers of America chief executive, Matthew Runci, in a letter to
Chardon dated May 6.
Zimbabwe cannot sell the Marange diamonds until KP monitor Abbey Chikane, who has already visited the diamond field in the countrys eastern districts to inspect the mining operations of firms operating in the area, certifies them for release on the international diamond market.
Marange is one of the worlds most controversial diamond fields with human rights groups accusing soldiers sent by the government to secure the field from illegal miners of gross human rights abuses.
The KP monitors the diamond trade worldwide in order to prevent the sale of conflict diamonds to sponsor rogue regimes or rebel armies.
Post published in: News