The KP Civil Society Coalition of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), led by Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) and Global Witness boycotted the watchdog’s plenary meeting that was recently convened in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
They said that the decision to boycott the meeting was based on several factors that included KP’s inability to respond to situations where diamonds were fueling conflict and human rights violations.
The civil society also feared that the DRC plenary would result in all “meaningful oversight” on the Marange region being terminated despite “ongoing and credible” concerns about the area meeting minimum KP standards.
Their fear indeed came to pass as KP members, faced with a never-ending and directionless debate on Marange, finally reached an agreement that allowed “immediate exports” of diamonds mined in the area, effectively ending a two year trade embargo.
The United States, Canada and the European Union dropped their objections and agreed to allow Zimbabwe sell its diamonds.
The agreement included approval of exports from the Marange mines operated by Mbada and Marange Resources (formerly Canadile) and the re-appointment of Abbey Chikane as monitor and the appointment of World Diamond Council (WDC) Technical Committee chair Mark van Bockstael as the second monitor.
However, diamond exports from Anjin, a partnership between a Chinese firm and the Zimbabwean army, were yet to be approved.
A KP monitoring team was expected to visit Anjin soon to ensure that it was KP-compliant before it gets a green-light to start exports.
The team would also make similar visits to any other new mine within 14 days of receiving an invitation, the WDC said.
Zimbabwe said it would report to the current KP plenary and intersessional meeting in 2012 on issues related to identification of further investors, the regulation of artisanal mining, the fight against illicit digging and smuggling.
The new agreement would remain under constant review and in force until the KP plenary meeting in 2012.
The United States said it had agreed to a compromise to prevent the paralysis of the global system for stopping trade in "blood diamonds".
"We think this compromise might have been stronger and that's why we abstained," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
"So we judge that rather than having the entire Kimberley process deadlocked over Zimbabwe we would abstain, we would let this go forward."
However, as expected the civil right groups went ballistic, slamming the KP for lifting the trade embargo.
They said the decision to allow the export of rough diamonds from the Marange fields was “a pure business deal” and failed to address the risk of the diamond industry financing political violence in Zimbabwe in the lead up to the country’s election next year.
"The KP has effectively given up on Zimbabwe. KP member governments and the diamond industry seem ready to turn their back on the interests of Zimbabwe's citizens, the public good and the principles on which the Kimberley Process was founded," said Liberia-based Green Advocates president Alfred Brownell.
A campaigner with Global Witness, Mike Davis, was also quoted by Reuters as saying that, ”we are seeing a situation where sadly a large number of member governments and the industry think they can keep the show on the road by endlessly striking shabby deals on the Marange diamond fields”.
While, others cried foul, the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said the move to allow Zimbabwe resume exports of gems from Marange, would help stabilise the world’s diamond market.
“This will not only stabilise the world diamond business by encouraging the traders to keep the illicit diamonds out of the system, but will also help millions of people of Zimbabwe to derive the fruits of their diamond wealth and create strong bonding with the workers on ground in India who eke out their living from cutting and polishing of diamonds,” GJEPC’s chairman Rajiv Jain said.
Zimbabwe said it was now set to earn in excess of $2 billion in gross revenue annually from the sale of the gems.
However, this might not be realised if smuggling, which is said to be rife, continues unabated.
By and large, Zimbabwe had a last laugh, in view of a spirited vilification and resistance from the civil society groups.
KP should, indeed, be commendable for ending the senseless log jam on Marange, which appeared to massage some egos at the expense of real progress in Zimbabwe, as the continued ban helped fuel illegal trading than promote sanity.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
