‘We had to compromise on Marange’: US
This article was written by Our reporter on 6 November, at 14 : 45 PM Print
THE United States says the abstention from a vote at last week’s Kimberley Process plenary session in Kinshasa that allowed Zimbabwe to export diamonds mined in Marange fields was important in allowing progress within the Kimberley Process.
The country says it was a necessary compromise.
Western nations – led by the US, Canada and Australia – wanted to bar the Chiadzwa gems from the international market.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland (pictured above), however, said the agreement on Zimbabwe’s rough diamonds “could have been stronger”.
However, Nuland noted, the US was keeping its own sanctions against Zimbabwe in place, under the 2002 Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zdera) and no US citizen would be allowed to trade in Marange diamonds.
The Zimbabwe government says the sanctions legislation is illegal as it was not mandated by the United Nations and has ruined Zimbabwe’s economy.
In March this year, the United States’ central bank and the Federal Reserve bank froze two Zimbabwean accounts belonging to the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
The two accounts had about US$2 million from sales of the country’s minerals and deposited locally into a Stanbic Bank account, both account holders are under US sanctions.
Stanbic Bank operates a nostro account, maintained by an overseas bank, where bulk transfers are first sent before they reach their local recipients.
Through that arrangement, Stanbic Bank instructs its overseas bank to transfer the money to a local bank but that money first goes through the Federal Reserve.
A US government arm, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Offac), which is used by that government to implement the illegal sanctions on Zimbabwean parastatals, is said to have recommended the freezing of the funds.
Civil society groups, who have alleged human rights abuses in Marange, slammed the KP greenlight saying the KP has “given up” on Zimbabwe.
“The Kimberley Process has effectively given up on Zimbabwe,” said Alfred Brownell, President of Green Advocates, Liberia.
“KP member governments and the diamond industry seem ready to turn their back on the interests of Zimbabwe’s citizens, the public good and the principles on which the Kimberley Process was founded.”
Meanwhile many countries including China, Russia and India have hailed the greenlight saying it helps Zimbabwe on the road to recovery.
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Zimbabwe News Online, 1 year ago
[...] ‘We had to compromise on Marange’: US [...]
Global Witness Leaves Kimberley Process, 1 year ago
[...] whісh hаѕ sanctions іn рƖасе against Zimbabwe, abstained frοm [...]
firebird, 1 year ago
compromise? my foot!
Does this mean it will now suit them all to take a backward step on Sanctions and remove them cos despite Sanctions with all our diamonds we could probablyb support ourselves. this is
detracting from the real news because today’s news is actually far more startling in that Kenya-Eritrea are arguing over arms being supplied to Somalia?
i.e. Kenya is the new war zone coming up.
and now in addition to the above the UN chief is about to grace ZW with his presence?
Why ? Its got nothing to do with diamonds, trust me… there are matters of state that cannot be discussed over the phone or in emails as we have all learned … perhaps sanctions? who knows but we do know that there is potential war about to explode in Kenya?
Bang goes Tourism, Kenya’s biggest foreign exchange earner!
As Obama has blood ties with Kenya watch the West get in there – at the slightest excuse – if you think you saw blood spilt in the Arab lands stand by – you aint seen nuthin’ yet – suddenly it makers sense why all ships down that coastline are going to be permitted to carry armed guards – the mercenaries (dogs of war) are never going to be out of pocket!
the West is basically throwing in the towel on Afghanistan, and will instead be focusing on East Africa as their moving target – after all, dont you think a quick end to the misery of all those starving masses in Somilia and adjacent lands, will probably be most welcome and solve the problem of everyone throwing up their hands in despair as the coffers of the world are depleted -
I can hear them now round the table – discussing spending their funding on fighter aircraft, guns and bullets, rockets, amunition and financing another war which will guarantee employment in the west;
this will be their chosen stance instead of supplying sustinance to starving millions who are only going to procreate and spread more heartache in their part of the world as they struggle to get through to South Africa, dropping dead children and old people along the way?
Southern Africa is rich in minerals and the West knows it – could this be their ultimate target?