Zim must sue Kimberley Process: ADPA
Posted: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 10:51 am
THE African Diamond Producers Association says Zimbabwe should sue the KPCS in the international courts for refusing to certify its sale of diamonds even though their appointed monitor has said the country meets the minimun requirements. The Association has advised Harare to take the legal action as the KP was openly violating its own procedures.
KP appointed monitor, Abbey Chikane, says the country has met and surpassed all the requirements needed for certification, but
United States, Canada and Australia have opposed the certification for
political reasons. These countries have imposed
illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe.
ADPA is quoted by the Southern Times saying it will throw its weight behind Zimbabwe in the event it sues the KPCS secretariat.
"Zimbabwe should contemplate taking legal action against the KP.
"Zimbabwe’s diamonds cannot be held at ransom by one or two countries," Namibia’s diamonds commissioner Mr Kennedy Hamutenya reportedly told delegates attending a meeting of the ADPA in Namibia last week.
"The joint work plan agreed to in Swakopmund (2009) has since expired. Zimbabwe was never suspended from the Kimberly Process and consensus is required to do that.
"There is a working document that we all signed up to and it is based on the premise that Zimbabwe would be allowed to export once it has complied with the joint work plan," he added.
Hamutenya said the KP was formed to stop the flow of conflict diamonds. It noted that there was no civil war in Zimbabwe.
"Only the World Trade Organisation can stop a country from trading its diamonds.
"The KP has no right whatsoever, no legal basis. There are solid grounds for Zimbabwe to take legal action," he said.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe boycotted a KP meeting in Belgium yesterday.
The KP members gathered in Brussels yesterday and were expected to reach an agreement on Zimbabwe’s diamond exports.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu confirmed the KP was meeting in Brussels.
He said the KP extended an invitation for Zimbabwe to attend the meeting but the country would not be part to proceedings in Brussels.
"They have been begging us to attend the meeting but we are not attending.
"We have nothing to discuss with them. They are the ones who need to sort themselves out. We have no problems," Minister Mpofu said.
Zimbabwe has met the KP minimum requirements to trade in its diamonds.
Western countries led by the United States, Canada and Australia continue to influence the KP not to permit Zimbabwe to sell its diamonds freely on the international market.
Labels: ABBEY CHIKANE, ADPA, KIMBERLEY PROCESS, OBERT MPOFU
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Diamonds: Africa must get lion’s share
By Isdore Guvamombe
RECENTLY, diamond producing countries, mainly in Sadc, met in Luanda, Angola, under the auspices of the newly-formed African Diamond Producers’ Association (Adpa) to establish a policy that should see the countries become masters and shapers of their own economic destiny on the world diamond market.
The diamond is regarded as the world’s strongest mineral used both for industrial and commercial purposes and it continues to fetch high prices on the world market.
According to De Beers, the world diamond industry is currently valued at US$10 billion, with Africa producing 60 percent of the world’s diamonds.
This is why Africa must be the main factor in influencing the prices.
There is no doubt that, years after gaining political independence, Sadc countries are mindful of the need to end the foreign stranglehold on the precious stone by introducing effective strategies and policies that are aimed at devolving sovereignty and recovering lost revenue for each member state.
As many as 12 African diamond producing countries, mainly in Southern Africa, formed the association, that is headquartered in Luanda, Angola, to influence the world diamond market.
Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Central Africa Republic and South Africa have sent a clear message that the time has come for them to influence the marketing and pricing of their mineral product.
They now need the lion’s share.
The countries have also sought knowledge and co-operation of the Kimberly process.
This is a clear sign that Africa is rising from the ashes of mineral exploitation to self-determination against monopolistic Eurocentric companies like De Beers, Anglo-American and Rio Tinto.
Since colonial times, the Anglo-Saxons, through De Beers and Rio Tinto have, like moles, dug an array of tunnels through African soils for diamonds, mostly for the benefit of their kith and kin in Europe.
Ironically Africa, which produces about 60 percent of the world’s diamonds, has been receiving crumbs from the periphery of the market yet the mineral was being extracted from its soil using Africans as cheap labour.
The move to control diamond trade by African countries should be taken seriously by all governments on the continent as a major step towards fair deals and fair trade, that is mutually beneficial.
African countries must insist on benefiting through local cutting and polishing of diamonds and jewellery production to generate more employment for the people.
African countries are certainly moving fast to become masters of their own economic destiny and fair play companies from Russia, China and others from the Far East should also be given a chance to clinch deals with diamond producing companies in Africa in general and Sadc in particular. This will broaden the market.
Since the Zimbabwean diamond fields are expected to produce 15,5 million tonnes of diamonds, it is worthwhile trying new partnerships with the Chinese and Russians, who also have vast experience in diamond mining and processing.
This would effectively end the Anglo-Saxon monopoly on the mineral’s exploitation, as other investors would have to buy a huge stake in order to get real value and fair price.
It is true that Africa has predominantly remained as a source of raw material while countries that add value to the precious stones have significantly benefited and this has been to our detriment.
This is why there is now serious need to understand that if the local industries are transformed from being mere primary producers into full-fledged industries, there are a lot of benefits that will accrue from that.
In terms of fighting colonialism and defending political sovereignty Africans have, since the 1960s stood the test of time, in most cases cuddling together against the predatory instincts of American and British political hawks.
Of course, sell-outs have been noticed here and there but Africa will never be a colony again, politically, yet economically the journey is still too long.
Signs are clear that the time has now come for Africa to end western countries’ hegemony on its important resources, especially the land and diamonds.
The host country Angola’s Minister of Mines Mr Victor Kasongo summed up the intentions of the African countries.
"It is an African initiative trying to ensure that there is value addition to our resources with the support from our members in Southern Africa.
"We have to amend our laws to enable the governments to realise this. Benefaction is the key priority,’’ he said.
Andre’ Action Diakite’ Jackson of DRC chairs Adpa with a secretariat headed by Edgar Diogo de Cavalho Santos, the former secretary general from Angola.
Unless Adpa is taken seriously and its principles implemented, the negative trade balance that has existed since colonial times will persist through the systematic plunder of resources for the benefit of other countries.
Labels: ADPA, DIAMONDS, MINING, THE HERALD
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