UN Interim report refers to wide-range measures of Belgium

Antwerp, 13 November 2000 — Belgium government and diamond industry representatives received the past weeks the UN Monitoring Mechanism on Angolan Sanctions, chaired by ambassador Juan Larrain and the Panel of Experts on Sierra Leone, chaired by ambassador Martin Chungong Ayafor. Meanwhile, the Monitoring Mechanism published an interim report in which is referred to the wide-range measures of Belgium to assure compliance with the UN embargoes against conflict diamonds.

 

The Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions visited Belgium from 6-9 November 2000. A week earlier from 27-31 October, the Panel of Experts on Sierra Leone met in Antwerp with government and diamond industry representatives.

The Belgian measures, published in the "progress report" (see new website www.conflictdiamonds.com) as well as the implementation of the new control system on diamond trade in Sierra Leone were subject of an extensive and positive discussion.

Meanwhile, the Monitoring Mechanism on Angola Sanctions delivered on 23.10.00 an interim report. The Monitoring Mechanism replaces the Panel of Experts, chaired by ambassador Robert FOWLER. Regarding diamonds, the Mechanism concludes:

"The Mechanism attended, as observers, the meeting of the World Diamond Congress held in Antwerp from 17-19 July 2000 during which the diamond industry recognised the necessity of excluding illicit diamonds from the trading systems. The WFDB agreed to set up an International Diamond Board that would have an oversight role in this respect.

(…)

Security Council resolution 1295 (2000) requests that States hosting diamond markets impose significant penalties for the possession of rough diamonds in contravention of Security Council resolution 1173 (1998). In this regard, the Mechanism notes that Belgium, in particular, is examining the possibility of legislation on such extraterritorial illicit activities by its nationals, to enable prosecution of sanctions violators. The Government of Belgium has also adopted wide-ranging measures to enforce the sanctions and regulate the national diamond industry.

(…)

The Government of Angola has addressed the problems in their diamond certification systems that had been outlined in the Panel’s report. In January 2000, Angola introduced a new properly serial numbered Certificate of Origin, in compliance with the requests for a controllable system of certification. The Certificate is extremely hard to forge or alter. The Certification system is now fully operational.

(…)

Angola has now a checkable export system in which certificated imports of Angolan diamonds into Antwerp are checked against legal exports, to ensure that parcels are not altered in transit. The two signatories to the Certificate of Origin have been designated by the government. The systems for identifying and exporting production from legitimate mines appear to have no discernible loopholes.

Exclusion of UNITA diamonds from the system is based on the registering and licensing of the many artisanal miners and middleman, a process that is expected to be completed within 60 days, according to the President of ASCORP. The government has created an interdepartmental task force to speed implementation of these controls."

 

The HRD welcomes the interim report and confirms its full co-operation in order to make the UN sanctions effective.

Peter MEEUS, HRD’s Managing Director said: "We are especially glad the technical expertise the HRD’s offered to the government of Angola leads to results and is appreciated by the United Nations. The HRD is willing to work out similar procedures with other diamond exporting countries. The systems in Angola and Sierra Leone prove to be effective. By enlarging it to other countries, the net will be closed."