Confusion over Marange diamonds

The KP that regulates the world diamond industry has set tomorrow as the deadline for all participants in the voluntary monitoring scheme to respond to a revised draft agreement on the fate of Zimbabwes stockpiled diamonds. This, after Harare rejected the initial agreement last November.

But Chimanikire told the media last week that Harare had documentary evidence to show that the KP had approved the diamond sales, adding that tomorrows meeting of was not likely to change the decision to allow Zimbabwe to export the diamonds.

“They gave us that authorisation unless they are now denying it, said Chimanikire, speaking to journalists after a KP spokesman refuted earlier claims by the deputy minister that the regulator had approved Marange diamond sales.

A spokesperson for the new KP chairperson, the Democratic Republic of the Congos Yamba Mathieu Lapfa Lambang, was quoted by Rapaport News as saying that claims that the international watchdog had sanctioned exports from the controversial Marange fields were untrue.

No decision has been made yet, the spokesperson said.

But Chimanikire was adamant that the KP approved Marange diamond exports.

He said: We have documentary evidence, they wrote us a letter informing us about the authorisation. In the letter they indicated that a meeting will be held on Jan 10, (tomorrow). That meeting will not change anything at all because they have already indicated that we can sell.”

Meanwhile the KPs Zimbabwe monitor Abbey Chikane has said only Israel can confirm whether the world diamond trade regulator has Zimbabwe has approved sales of the controversial Marange diamonds.

Chikane, a South African diamond expert, said Israel was expected to issue statement on the Marange stones at tomorrows meeting.

Israel is the only one that can confirm that. There will be a meeting on Monday next week and thats where Israel is expected to issue a proclamation on whether Zimbabwe should now trade in diamonds, Chikane told journalists.

The KP banned Zimbabwe from selling diamonds from the Marange fields in 2009 over allegations of human rights abuses in the extraction of the gems and failure to meet minimum requirements for trading in the precious stones.

But the organisation allowed Zimbabwe to conduct two supervised sales which took place in August and September last year following a report by Chikane that said Harare had met all KP conditions.

The issue of Zimbabwe selling the Marange diamonds has divided the KP along political lines, with Western countries led by the United States, Germany and Australia as well as civil society groups that are members of the organisation calling for the extension of a ban.

African and other countries, including Russia, have however opposed the calls to ban the diamonds.