Sierra Leone
UN commends regulation of Sierra Leone diamond trade

afrol News,29 August - Members of the UN Security Council today commended efforts by the government of Sierra Leone to monitor the diamond trade through the creation of a mechanism to oversee and control domestic mining. The region's diamonds have fuelled various civil was and there are several international trade restrictions on gems from the zone.

The President of the UN Security Council, Ambassador John Negroponte of the United States, said in a press statement that the UN had taken note of the problems still faced by the Sierra Leonean government in controlling illicit production and diamond smuggling but encouraged the country to further strengthen its internal monitoring capacity to stop these precious gems from becoming a financial source of conflicts.

Members of the Security Council also "welcomed ongoing efforts" among West African countries to develop a region-wide certification scheme and called on all parties to support such endeavours, Ambassador Negroponte said. 

They were also called on to back continuing efforts in the so-called Kimberly process to develop a global certification scheme for rough diamonds.

The statement further urged the international community and donor countries to support ongoing Sierra Leonean efforts to implement effective internal measures to control diamond certification and promote economic development through mining activities.

Earlier Thursday, the Security Council was briefed by Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico, Chairman of the 15-member body's Sierra Leone Sanctions Committee, on the fourth review the Sierra Leone Diamond Certification process.

The "conflict diamonds" of Sierra Leone have been interpreted as one of the principal driving forces behind the brutal 10-year civil war, which only ended in January. The government of neighbouring Liberia - which supported Sierra Leonean rebels in control of diamond mines - profited massively from the illicit diamond trade. Most Sierra Leonean diamonds were sold under false identity, "originating" in countries as wide apart as Liberia and Burkina Faso.

International sanctions now ban the trade in diamonds "originating" in Liberia. For Sierra Leone produced gems, international trade is only allowed if they are certified by the government, proving their legal origin.

Sources: Based on UN sources and afrol archives

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