World Diamond Council to approach U.S, EU over Marange sanctions

The World Diamond Council (WDC) said it will engage the United States Treasury and the European Union to lift sanctions imposed on diamond companies operating in Zimbabwe’s Marange.
The trade embargos were put in place after reports, which alleged that diamonds from the eastern part of Zimbabwe were being used to prop up the political cabal of president Robert Mugabe’s party and the security chiefs.
Accusations of gross human rights abuses were also leveled against the government when its security personnel drove out illegal miners that had invaded the diamond fields in 2006.
Harare dismissed the allegations as false and malicious.
The denials, however, could not stop the suspension of diamond exports from Marange by the Kimberley Process in 2009 until late last year when the country managed to fully comply with the diamond trade watchdog’s minimum requirements.
WDC president Eli Izhakoff said there was consensus that the diamond industry wanted sanctions on Marange gems go as the country had satisfied all the requirements needed to trade the precious stones.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe mines minister Obert Mpofu said WDC’s initiative was commendable, adding that the non-governmental organisations should “desist their campaigning against Zimbabwe in the various downstream markets”.
He also said that the two-day gathering had shown that Zimbabwe’s diamonds were pivotal to the country’s economy and local communities.
“Therefore, to assure that Zimbabwe will continue toward positive economic development, it is pertinent that we can successfully trade rough diamonds and that there is a free flow of funds between legitimate – diamond trading companies,” Mpofu said.
He said the conference had attracted 480 delegates.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished