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This article participates on the following special index pages:
Marange, Chiadzwa and other diamond fields and the Kimberley Process - Index of articles
Conflict diamond scheme must resolve Zimbabwe impasse
Global Witness
November 05, 2010
http://www.globalwitness.org/library/conflict-diamond-scheme-must-resolve-zimbabwe
The Kimberley
Process (KP) rough diamond certification scheme must reach a credible
agreement with the Government of Zimbabwe regarding the export of
stones from the controversial Marange
region, the KP Civil Society Coalition said today.
The Kimberley Process
annual plenary meeting in Jerusalem ended without agreement on Marange
following four days of negotiations. Restrictions on the export
of stones from the diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe have been
in place for the past year under the terms of a 'Joint Work
Plan' agreed between the KP and the Zimbabwean government.
The restrictions were imposed following the killing of over two
hundred miners in Marange by the Zimbabwean security forces in late
2008 and patterns of violence and smuggling that persisted thereafter.
The KP Civil Society
Coalition recognises that some progress has been made in Marange,
notably the installation of technical controls within mining company
compounds covering a 3% of the diamond fields. However, key commitments
made in the Joint Work Plan and a follow-up agreement reached in
St Petersburg in July which links exports to progress on the ground
and emphasises the role of Zimbabwean civil society remain unmet.
It is only through implementing these agreements that Zimbabwe will
meet Kimberley Process minimum standards and prevent renewed violence
in Marange.
The KP Civil Society
Coalition remains committed to playing a constructive role in finding
an agreement between the Kimberley Process and Zimbabwe - one which
allows all Zimbabwean people to benefit from the country's
diamond wealth, while ensuring that human rights are respected and
the integrity of the KP scheme is preserved. We believe that such
an agreement must link exports from Marange with progress in implementing
existing commitments and reflect the fundamental KP principle of
country - rather than individual mine - certification.
The most important of these commitments include:
- Endorsement and respect
for the local civil society monitoring mechanism established by
the St Petersburg agreement. It is through this mechanism that
Zimbabwean NGOs report to the KP on conditions in Marange.
- Measures agreed by
Zimbabwe and the Kimberley Process to remove the military from
Marange and put in place a system of law enforcement overseen
by civilian authorities.
- Steps to tackle illegal
mining and cross border trafficking of diamonds, including the
establishment of regulations that allow for small scale mining
of diamonds.
- Once again, discussions
on Zimbabwe overshadowed positive progress on other issues. At
the Jerusalem plenary meeting, decisions were taken to establish
a committee mandated to improve the future efficiency of the Kimberley
Process; in-depth discussions were held on enforcement in West
Africa; and a decision was taken to formalise cooperation with
the World Customs Organisation.
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