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PRESS RELEASE 22 November 2001 |
PO Box 10707 1001 ES Amsterdam The Netherlands phone: +31-20-520.6210 fax: +31-20-520.6249 email ft@niza.nl www.niza.nl/fataltransactions |
World-wide diamond certificate out of reach .... governments should practice what they preach.
The establishment of a world-wide agreement against conflict diamonds is in serious need of some cardiac massage, concludes the Fatal Transaction campaign against conflict diamonds. Ministers of diamond producing and importing countries and the European Commission were supposed to ratify an agreement on certification of diamonds, on November 29 2001 in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. But latest situation suggests that hardly any ministers will be present. For two years negotiations have been taken place between governments, the diamond industry and NGOs to stop the fuelling of armed conflict through sale of blood diamonds. Now that the end is in sight various governments are watering down the agreement, which is now simply a list of recommendations. Although there is a broad consensus to stop the trade in conflict diamonds, governments prepare for some last minute opt-outs.
'Governments should practice what they preach and not leave the responsibility to stop armed conflicts with diamond jewellery buying consumers' says Judith Sargentini, co-ordinator of the Fatal Transaction campaign against conflict diamonds. The terrorist attacks on New York have shown that the world is small, but Africa is still to far away for western countries to reach out. NGOs demand that governments set aside their differences, demonstrate their solidarity with the people in Angola, DRC and Sierra Leone and agree in Gaborone to a world wide certifications scheme of diamonds.
The governments taking part in this so-called Kimberley Process will again send their diplomats for a new game of scrabble, but ministers will not fly in when the outcome is not of substance. This game can go on for years, to the cost of thousands of innocent Africans. The European Commission, that planned to send Commissioner Lamy or Patten, will keep its hotshots on ice and will await the outcome of the two days negotiations. It is vital that the USA government reviews its problems with the issuing of re-export certificates of unpolished diamonds leaving the USA, as well as with the cost and the paperwork for an international secretariat monitoring the implementation of such regulations.
The General Assembly of the UN, 56th session, taking place December, awaits a proposal for world wide certification scheme for diamonds. Chances are that the meeting will end up where it started: everyone seeing the need to stop civil wars and armed conflicts in Angola, Congo and Sierra Leone, but exporting and importing countries being afraid of their market position, leaving the African people to suffer.
Note for the editor, not for publication:
- Judith Sargentini, International Co-ordinator of Fatal Transactions, will be present in Gaborone. To contact her during the conference, please contact Ms. Kirsten Hund, National co-ordinator of the Fatal Transactions, at the Netherlands institute for Southern Africa (NiZA), +31 20 5206210, kirsten@niza.nl
- The meeting of the Kimberley Process will be held from 26-28 Nov, the 'ministers' meeting takes place on 28 and 29 Nov 2001, In Gaborone, Botswana. www.kimberleyprocess.com
- Fatal Transactions is an international consumer campaign, calling on the public and other interested organisations to ask governments and companies involved in extractive industries to implement effective controls to ensure that the trade in natural resources does not finance or otherwise support conflict and economic injustice in Africa.
