Zim defies diamond treaty

Sunday Independent, Peta Thornycroft

January 17, 2010 Edition 1

ZIMBABWE has rejected a European monitor to oversee the exports of
diamonds from its controversial Marange fields to ensure they are not
"blood diamonds". It has unilaterally "appointed" a Namibian instead.

Now the World Diamond Council in New York has warned that if a generally
acceptable monitor is not agreed upon soon, it will call for Zimbabwe's
suspension from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme which
regulates sales of rough diamonds to ensure they do not finance
conflicts. Some observers warn that the row could bring down the whole
Kimberley Process (KP).

Zimbabwe came under fire from several international human rights groups
recently after informal miners digging in alluvial diamond fields in the
Marange region of eastern Zimbabwe for the past three years accused
President Robert Mugabe's security forces of atrocities against them.

At the annual meeting of the KP in Namibia last November, its 49 members
representing 75 countries decided not to suspend Zimbabwe. Instead they
gave it a second chance by proposing that a monitor be appointed to
oversee exports of rough diamonds from Marange.

Weeks later, the EU proposed a well-known British diamond expert, who is
also a former senior De Beers executive, as the first monitor to oversee
exports of diamonds from Marange over the next six months.

On December 30, Bernard Esau, Namibia's deputy mines minister, wrote to
the EU rejecting its suggestion and said that Zimbabwe had signed a
memorandum of agreement for a monitor from Global Diamond Valuators,
Namibia, Pty Ltd, to oversee exports of rough diamonds from Marange.

The appointment of a monitor had become urgent when Zimbabwe advertised that an auction of 300 000 carats from Marange would take place on
January 7, but then cancelled the auction at the last minute.
Well-placed sources say they expect Zimbabwe will go ahead with its
diamond auction in Harare next week.

Israel became chair of the Kimberley Process on January 1, but failed to
answer questions sent to it this week about Zimbabwe's unilateral
appointment of a monitor.