Zim shrugs off diamond ban: Will look east

<strong>Zimbabwe on Monday shrugged off a ban by a major diamond trading network on gems from its controversial Marange diamond fields, saying it was sure to find buyers in Russia and Asia. </strong>ass="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: black"> </span><span class="x_articlebody1"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black">The US-based Rapaport Diamond Trading Network, or RapNet as it is known, warned in a statement on its website that it would publicly denounce and expel any of its members who dealt in Marange diamonds.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: black"> <span class="x_articlebody1">The network links thousands of diamond suppliers and buyers across the world.</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">RapNet founder Martin Rapaport said that although the global diamond watchdog called the Kimberley Process (KP) had authorized Zimbabwe last week to sell nearly 900��000 carats of Marange diamonds, RapNet still viewed the gems as tainted.</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">"RapNet members that knowingly offer Marange (the region where the alluvial diamonds are found) diamonds for sale on RapNet will be expelled from RapNet and their names will be publicly communicated," he warned.</span> <strong><span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'">No surprise</span></strong> <span class="x_articlebody1">Zimbabwe Mining Minister Obert Mpofu said he was "not surprised at all."</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">"You might be aware that America, the European Union and the United Kingdom have made every effort to make Zimbabwe fail," he said.</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">"In any case, these countries do not constitute the entire market of diamonds. We will sell our stones to countries where they are welcome. We have countries like Russia, China, India and other Asian countries where we can market our diamonds."</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">The Harare government auctioned off 893��000 carats of diamonds from the Marange region, where the army is accused of gross human rights violations against illegal miners and villagers since 2008.</span></span> ass="x_MsoNormal"><span class="x_articlebody1"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; color: black">Buyers from the United States, Lebanon, India, Israel and Russia attended the auction, which the government said boosted government coffers by around 71 million dollars.</span></span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: black"> <span class="x_articlebody1">Last year, the KP ordered Zimbabwe to suspend its diamond exports while it investigated conditions in Chiadzwa. After several visits to the area, and a partial withdrawal of the army, the KP has cleared the cash-strapped government to export gems that have been mined under KP supervision.</span> <strong><span style="font-family: 'Georgia','serif'">Not in the clear</span></strong> <span class="x_articlebody1">Rapaport, however, noted that the KP green light did not automatically put Zimbabwe's diamonds in the clear. </span> <span class="x_articlebody1">The KP was set up to clamp down on trade in "blood diamonds" - diamonds used to fund conflicts. Zimbabwe, which denies allegations that the army killed scores of illegal diamond diggers in 2008, has said the label cannot apply to its diamonds because there is no war in the country.</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">However, the KP "does not have a mandate to deny its certification for diamonds involved in human rights violations and therefore there is no assurance that diamonds with KP certification are free of human rights violations," Rapaport said.</span> <span class="x_articlebody1">"We strongly urge members to contact their suppliers and obtain written assurances that they are not being supplied Marange diamonds," Rapaport cautioned. -- Sapa-dpa</span></span>

Set as favorite

Bookmark

Email This

Comments (0) Add Comment

Write comment

Name:	*
Username:	*
Email:	*
Password:	*
Verify Password:	*
REGISTER_REQUIRED

www.sarwatch.org

Zim shrugs off diamond ban: Will look east

Translate