Geologist/gemmologist Mark Van Bockstael, previously leading the HRD Institute of Gemmology was appointed as director of the new department. The HRD 'Task Force Angola' was conceived to work not in plenary sessions but on a 'ad hoc' basis, including one-to-one meetings with different members of the task force and a variable membership, based on necessity.

• The HRD was in permanent contact with the Diamond Task Force, established by the Belgian government.
  
  
• Further, regular contacts were made with the ambassador Fowler, head of the UN Sanctions Committee on Angola and later with ambassador Larrain.
  
  

• Mark Van Bockstael, HRD Director International Affairs during the first technical mission in Luanda evaluating the certificate of origin regime.

  Several foreign missions were organised.
  
  

• On 16.12.99, the HRD started bilateral talks in Luanda (Angola) regarding the certificate of origin and launched the idea of an import confirmation document.
  
  This mission was followed by frequent contacts between Angolan government and HRD who leaded to an agreement of structural co-operation.
  
  
• The government of South Africa launched on the "Kimberley-process" aiming to bring producing countries and industry together in order to work out a system that could give a general answer to diamond production in war zones.
  
  The HRD participated to the conferences in Kimberley (11.05.00), Luanda (14.06.00), London (20.07.00), Windhoek (04.09.00) and Pretoria (19.09.00).
  
  
• The HRD started talks with the governments of Sierra Leone on 07.04.00. Contacts were made with the US and UK that resulted in a joint technical mission to Freetown in June 2000.
  
  

7.2. Scientific research on geo-chemical fingerprinting of individual rough diamonds

A scientific project was initiated on 13.10.99 to study the theoretical and practical possibilities of origin-determination of individual rough diamond crystals. The scientific partner responsible for the testing is the Department of Physical-chemical Geology at the Catholic University of Leuven.

The study tries to determine whether precise chemical analyses of trace elements is consistent with a geographical origin. The technology used is Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). The instrument used is a HP 4500 LA ICP MS set.

Contacts with other scientific teams such as De Beers, the Central Forensic Laboratory of the RCMP in Ottawa (Canada) and the National University of Canberra (Australia) have been established.

All sources conclude that no practical results will be available before 2005.


7.3. Information exchange with the agreement Public Prosecutor

In February 2000, the HRD signed an agreement with the Office of the Public Prosecutor of Antwerp in order to prevent the organised crime to infiltrate in the legitimate diamond industry.

Following to this agreement information is exchanged. All facts known by the HRD are systematically passed to the competent authorities for further investigation.


7.4. The HRD Strategic Plan for Transparency in African Diamond Trade

The HRD launched in March 2000 its "Strategic Plan for Transparency in African Diamond Trade.

The plan is addressed to all diamond producing countries who are directly or indirectly involved in a conflict. It is build on measures to be taken in importing and in exporting countries.

• To tighten the control in the importing countries, a certificate of origin is required, delivered by the legitimate government of the export country. Only shipments accompanied by this certificate can be traded.
• To counter forgeries, this certificate needs to display a proper watermark and other security systems. An additional control is provided by the import confirmation certificate. It is sealed together with the parcel and upon arrival stamped by the Belgian customs officials where it is returned to the country of export. Through those measures, complete transparency is achieved for commercial transactions between the two countries.
• In exporting countries, a centralised export agency needs to be established that shall be responsible for each and every shipment of diamonds, based on the model of the Belgian Diamond Office. Data on the parcels are send by electronic way. In that way, a tighter control on export is achieved and the local authority receives a total overview on the trade. The HRD put its know-how, software, sealing systems and training at disposal.

The Plan was presented to the producing countries during the Technical Forum on 11.05.00 in Kimberley where the offer for co-operation was launched. In order to obtain immediate results, the HRD proposed to build out this system in the countries directly involved in a conflict and the immediate neighbouring or possible transit countries.


7.5. Angola : Agreement on technical assistance

On 16.12.99, the HRD started bilateral talks in Luanda (Angola) regarding the certificate of origin.

The HRD assisted in developing a new certificate and launched the idea of an import confirmation document.

This mission was followed by frequent contacts between Angolan government and HRD who leaded to an agreement of structural co-operation.

HRD Managing Director P. Meeus and Angolan Minister A. Sumbula concluding their co-operation agreement.

On 29.03.00, the HRD signed an agreement with the Government of Angola during the visit of Vice-Minister of Geology and Mines, Antonio Sumbula to Antwerp.

By this agreement, the HRD acts as an expert on behalf of the Angolan government.

The co-operation is based on the principles of the Strategic Plan.

• New certificate of origin with additional security measures to prevent forge. It includes a watermark running throughout the Certificate, a unique numbering that is both embossed and printed on the document. It is issued by ENDIAMA and counter-signed by the Ministry of Commerce.
• Principle of the introduction of an import confirmation certificate to create total transparency of all imports and exports between two countries
• Assistance in setting up and co-ordinating an efficient export structure in Luanda
• Collaboration in the inventory of the physical and chemical characteristics of Angolan diamonds in order to distinguish their origin. A photo-atlas of rough diamonds from different deposits in Angola was composed to that end.

Technical assistance has been given by the HRD since December 1999.

Belgian and Angolan government work on the implementation of legal aspects of the agreement.


The HRD Photo-atlas of Angolan diamonds. Essential information for experts and Customs to identify origin


7.6. Sierra Leone : HRD, expert and partner

In April 2000, Sierra Leone came into the public attention when violence was terrifying Freetown. Previously the HRD already started talks with the government of Sierra Leone on 07.04.00 in order to propose a similar way of co-operation.

The actions regarding Sierra Leone are relevant for the Angola case because the certification scheme and additional security measures improve.

Sierra Leone Minister of Minerals and Mines Mohammed Deen and HRD Director Int. Affairs Mark Van Bockstael in Freetown

On 19.06.00, HRD had talks with Minister of Mines Mohammed Deen and President Kabbah, to concretise a co-operation.

On 13.07.00, a trilateral technical mission to Freetown was organised together with Belgian, US and UK government representatives in order to evaluate the situation.

The HRD assisted Sierra Leone as an expert in developing a certificate that was presented during the U.N. hearing in Sierra Leone on 31.07.00 in New York.






The certificate consists of 3 parts:

• the actual Certificate of Origin, with various security measures that make it unforgeable, such as watermark, intaglio printed border, unique sequentially number, randomly generated perforated number and UV-links ;
• an Import Confirmation Certificate that is stamped off by Customs and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and is sent back to Sierra Leone in order to create full transparency between imports and exports ;
• a Security Slip that is fixed and sealed on the box containing the diamonds and may only be broken by the importing authority.

On 19.10.00, the HRD installed an electronic data transmission system in Freetown that allows to send a secure data-stream prior to shipment to the importing country.

This system of data exchange creates full transparency between the exporting and importing countries. The two countries will be able to register any irregularity when and import and export figures don’t correspond.

	Computer experts of the Sierra Leone GGDO and the HRD ICT Manager Jean-Pierre Saeys installing the electronic data transmission in Freetown on 18.10.00. The link with the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs was made on 27.10.00

On 27.10.00, the Belgian Minister of Economic Affairs presented the new control system that had become operational.

It allows the legitimate government of Sierra Leone to export diamond again in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1306 (2000).

The new control system works as follows:

• Data on the goods, together with digital photo’s are prior to shipment electronically send from Sierra Leone (GGDO) to the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs (1), who confirms receipt (2)
• The goods, together with the Certificate of Origin are sealed with a security slip and arrive at the Customs at the Diamond Office (3).
• Customs checks the sealed shipment and records the number of the security slip on the Import Confirmation Certificate. The Certificate of Origin is delivered by Customs to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (4).
• The Ministry controls the electronic data with the original Certificate of Origin and issues the import licence (5). All documents are send to Customs again (6).
• After the inward clearance formalities, Customs stamps the Import Confirmation Certificate (7).
• The goods, together with documents and photo’s are submitted to physical expertise by an expert of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (8-9).
• Customs returns the license, Certificate and stamped off Import Confirmation Certificate to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (10). The documents of the expertise are send to the Ministry by the expert (11).
• The Ministry of Economic Affairs controls the Certificate of Origin with the electronic data and the documents of the expertise (12).
• The Import Confirmation Certificate is stamped off and sent back electronically and by post to Sierra Leone (13).

Scheme of the new control system for diamond trade between Sierra Leone and Belgium, operational since 27.10.00 : a standard for transparent rough diamond trade.

7.7. A global certification scheme : Antwerp World Diamond Congress

The diamond industry world-wide which gathered during the World Diamond Congress 2000, held in Antwerp from 16 to 19 July 2000 was a milestone for a global approach of the problem.

The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) adopted a joint resolution in which the diamond industry proposes international monitored, standardised export and import procedures that allow to trace the origin of a diamond.

• Rough diamonds may only be imported if the parcel has been sealed and registered in a universally standardised manner by an export authority from the exporting country.
• Each exporting country (producer country or dealing/manufacturing centre) will establish accredited export offices or diamond board, which will seal parcels of rough diamonds to be exported and registered in an international database.
• One country’s exports to another must match by that country’s official imports from the exporting country. All accounts should, ultimately, balance. Compliance with the above is monitored and controlled by an International Diamond Council comprised of producers, manufacturers, traders, governments and relevant international organisations.
• Each country (rough exporters, importers, or polished consuming countries) enacts legislation bringing criminal penalties on any individual and company proven to be knowingly involved in illegal rough diamonds.
• Each diamond organisation adopts an ethical code of conduct as regards conflict diamonds, labour practices and good business practices in general, the failure to adhere to which would lead to expulsion from WFDB, IDMA and all other relevant organisations.

The technical aspects of the system will be worked out by the World Diamond Council (WDC). The WDC was installed on 06.09.00 during the meeting in Tel Aviv. The HRD is represented in all committees of the WDC. The international control regime the WDC proposes is built on the system as developed by the HRD.

Political aspects and legislative consequences must be worked in an international treaty between States hosting diamond industry. The preparations for this were made during the Pretoria Conference on 21.09.00 and the London Conference on 25.10.00.