Kimberley Process meet over Zimbabwe ends in impasse

In what could further dent the image of diamond industry, the 2010 inter-sessional meet of Kimberley Process ended in an impasse late on Thursday. The conference was dominated by the issue of exports of diamonds from Zimbabwe's Marange mines, where excessive human rights violations have been reported.

The KP meet started on Monday and was slated to end on Wednesday. However, it was extended by a day in the absence of a consensus. After several twists of hope and disappointment, KP participants were not able to find a common ground.

At the heart of the issue was the report of KP monitor Abbey Chikane, who said that Zimbabwe met minimum requirements set by KP. However, NGOs such as Global Witness, Partnership Africa-Canada and Human Rights Watch took opposing position, stating that Zimbabwe army was still present in the region, contrary to prior agreements.

The meeting was also marred by the arrest of NGO activist Farai Mguwu by Zimbabwe authorities, and the three-day fast by Rapaport group chairman Martin Rapaport to protest issuance of KP certificates to blood diamonds.

Talks neared an agreement on Wednesday afternoon, but collapsed over an issue raised by one of the sides that caused uproar.

In a statement, KP chair Boaz Hirsch said the situation was unprecedented but all parties were committed to further talks to find a consensus-based resolution. Talks are scheduled to continue during World Diamond Council's annual meeting on July 14 and July 15.