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REPORTS that western countries have launched a fresh bid to block the sale of Zimbabwe diamonds using the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development are unfortunate and expose the West’s duplicity and double dealing. The Dubai diamond industry on Wednesday warned that Zimbabwe’s stand-off with the West over the exploitation of its diamonds was far from over even after the West suffered repeated setbacks in past Kimberley Process summits.
Sources told our Harare Bureau that western efforts now sought to use the 34-member OECD to pressure the jewellery industry worldwide from sourcing diamonds from targeted countries, principally Zimbabwe. “The battle is not over. There are still situations meant to disallow Zimbabwe diamonds from trading. But we are there for you. We ask Western powers that as they make rules on African minerals, they cannot make them without Africa getting involved,” the source said.
Zimbabwe conducted its inaugural diamond auction in Dubai last month with over 100 buyers taking part and snapping up 380,626.24 carats of rough diamonds worth $29.3 million. This auction has since been hailed as holding better promise for Zimbabwe than two previous tenders held in Antwerp, Belgium, in December last year and February this year which raised $10.5 million and $70 million respectively.
President Mugabe has since said Zimbabwe would continue selling its diamonds through the Dubai Diamond Exchange to gain experience in the complex diamond business before starting its own auctions at home. Speaking after a tour of the Dubai Diamond Exchange Centre on Wednesday, Cde Mugabe hailed the centre for transforming itself within a short period into a leading world diamond auction centre.
Reacting to disclosures that the West was still intent on blocking the sale of Zimbabwe gems, the President hit out at the West’s double standards in dealing with African and Third World countries. He said: “All along the Kimberly Process was running without problems.
But the moment Zimbabwe discovered diamonds, then those opposed to Zimbabwe wanted to inhibit and prohibit the selling of her diamonds . . . Those with their evil thoughts sought to ruin us. They will still want to ruin processes which benefit our country. They don’t give up. You defeat them in one area, they move on to another.”
He noted that the new rules and regulations which the west was developing were meant to inhibit the marketing of Zimbabwe’s valuable mineral commodities. He adverted to recent divisions within the EU over the sale of Zimbabwean diamonds where some EU countries, led by Belgium, opposed further sanctions on Zimbabwe diamonds.
We condemn in the strongest terms recent efforts by the West to block the sale of Zimbabwean diamonds on the world markets and urge them to keep away from Zimbabwe. Their moves expose their duplicity and double-speak since they are on the one hand, calling for re-engagement with the country as evidenced by their recent invitation to President Mugabe to attend the EU-Africa summit but at the same time they are actively seeking to sabotage the country’s economy through underhand means.
Zimbabwe deserves to benefit from its God-given natural resources such as diamonds without having to fight sanctions and all manner of skullduggery to sell them. It appears the West is not sincere in its dealings with Zimbabwe and countries such as Belgium which are willing to trade with Zimbabwe are an island in an oasis of anti-Zimbabwe campaigners. Zimbabwe would be better off dealing with the United Arab Emirates and sell its gems via the DDE until such a time that it establishes its own auctions at home.
We concur with President Mugabe that platforms such as the DDE are suited to Zimbabwe’s situation since their terms are better than those of Europe. Zimbabwe has vast diamond reserves and will soon be exploring kimberlite mining and it is important that it derives full benefit from its gems. Although it is relatively new in the industry, the country needs sincere and honest partners in this trade and the West has so far proved an unreliable and dishonest trading partner.
As the saying goes, a leopard does not change its spots and it would be suicidal for the country to completely hedge its bets on the West at a time when its relations with it are just beginning to thaw.
Online Reporter