By Alex Bell
29 June 2010
An international group of diamond industry stakeholders has denied reports that it gave Zimbabwean Mines Minister Obert Mpofu the ‘green light’ to sell the country’s controversial gems.
The Zimbabwe Guardian reported on Monday that the World Diamond Council, which monitors diamond trade standards, had given Mpofu the go ahead to sell Zimbabwe’s precious stones. This is despite an international suspension of sales remaining in place, after a meeting of the Kimberley Process last week ended with no agreement on how to deal with Zimbabwe’s diamond crisis.
Monday’s report quoted Minister Mpofu as saying that the stones were already being sold, adding that the World Diamond council had given Zimbabwe “the green light.” The report said the alleged decision by the World Diamond Council was “a slap in the face of the Kimberley Process and further discredits that organisation.”
But World Diamond Council President Eli Izhakoff has denied the claims, calling them “erroneous and absolutely not true.” He told SW Radio Africa by email that only the Kimberley Process can make that decision, and “as everyone is aware, that did not happen.”
The legal certification of gems from the Chiadzwa diamond fields, which would allow their sale, was suspended after evidence surfaced of massive human rights abuses, as well as high level corruption. Human rights groups have been calling for Zimbabwe’s complete suspension from international trade until the abuses stop. But the Kimberley Process, tasked with ending the trade in conflict diamonds, refused to listen to these calls, instead deciding to grant Zimbabwe more time to meet international standards.
This deadline has passed and last week’s meeting of the Kimberley Process in Israel was set to decide Zimbabwe’s trade future. Australia, Canada, the European Union and the United States all opposed a recommendation to approve diamond sales from Chiadzwa. But other Kimberley Process members voted to give Zimbabwe diamonds certification. The lack of consensus means no decision has been taken and yet another meeting has been set down for next month to find a way forward. In the mean time, Minister Mpofu has threatened to sell the stones, regardless of certification.
The situation has seen more criticism being aimed at the Kimberley Process, which has been accused of being an ‘ineffective’ body and failing Zimbabwe. Thousands of people from across the world have been voicing their anger and frustration with this failure, by signing an online petition calling for a complete reform of the monitoring body. The petition, started by ethical jewellery group Brilliant Earth, calls on the Kimberley Process to broaden its mandate to sufficiently address human rights abuses in the diamond trade. “Most importantly, it should incorporate worker exploitation, violence, child labour, and environmental destruction,” the petition reads.
“Consumers are outraged that the Kimberley Process is not protecting the basic human rights or dignity of diamond miners. They find the ‘conflict-free’ certification to be misleading, and are appalled that nothing is being done to change the situation in Zimbabwe,” said Beth Gerstein, the founder of Brilliant Earth.
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