Maravi

(HERALD) ADC raps US government

ADC raps US government
Saturday, 10 December 2011 21:56

Africa’s supreme diamond governing body, the African Diamond Council (ADC), has condemned the United States for influencing the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) decisions on Zimbabwe’s diamonds.

The ADC has a membership of 12 diamond-producing countries, including Angola, DRC, Botswana and Zimbabwe. In a statement, ADC chairman Mr Andre Jackson said the Americans had ulterior motives in Africa’s diamond trade in general, and Zimbabwe in particular.

“The KP’s operation is suspiciously engineered by a former diamond mining monopoly and is imprudently promoted by the US State Department, which has a dream of not only altering African diamond policy, but also possesses an inherent aspiration to covertly command guidelines worldwide,” he said.

“African Diamond Council has finally come to a fateful conclusion that Marange diamonds will continue to be sold with or lacking KP certification,” he said.
Mr Jackson added that the KP scheme was being influenced when it came to making decisions regarding African diamonds.

“The KP has historically been ill- advised by global diamond organisations that represent and profit from the retail or back end of the global diamond industry.

“African diamond producers refuse to prop up a botched system or scheme that deviously exploits the front end of the diamond industry while coaxing urbanised nations to assign integrity to it,” said Mr Jackson.

He added: “ADC members have finally realised that they have more control to renovate our industry than the KP does.”
Zimbabwe has been battling spirited efforts from Western-funded NGOs and countries to block her right to market her gems.

Early this week, a London-based NGO Global Witness withdrew from the KP in protest over its decision to allow Zimbabwe to market her gems.
The country stands to earn more than US$2 billion per year from the three Marange mines that have been permitted to sell. — New Ziana.

Labels: KIMBERLEY PROCESS

posted by MrK @ 5:13 PM