Britain Pushes "Certificates of Origin" June.2000
The British government has its own ideas on how to solve the "combat
diamond" problem. At this summer’s Group of Eight summit in Japan it will
propose a measure (G-8) that will ask all diamond producing countries to attach
certificates of origin to their diamonds.
"We are pushing for an international self-certification scheme by the
diamond trade, backed by governments, to stop this trade in blood diamonds and
make sure the type of dreadful conflict we are seeing in Sierra Leone is not
perpetrated by the diamond trade that keeps them going," Foreign Minister
Peter Hain told Parliament.
South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola and the Congo all backed the proposal
at a meeting in South Africa recently. The British government also hopes for
backing from Russia, the world’s largest second diamond producer.
The South African conference also proposed a diamond code and a new
international standards committee to monitor transparency and accountability in
the diamond trade.
