Zimbabwe has rejected a European monitor to oversee the exports of diamonds from its controversial Marange fields to ensure they are not "blood diamonds". It has unilaterally "appointed" a Namibian instead.

Now the World Diamond Council in New York has warned that if a generally acceptable monitor is not agreed upon soon, it will call for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme which regulates sales of rough diamonds to ensure they do not finance conflicts. Some observers warn that the row could bring down the whole Kimberley Process (KP).

Zimbabwe came under fire from several international human rights groups recently after informal miners digging in alluvial diamond fields in the Marange region of eastern Zimbabwe for the past three years accused President Robert Mugabe's security forces of atrocities against them.

At the annual meeting of the KP in Namibia last November, its 49 members representing 75 countries decided not to suspend Zimbabwe. Instead they gave it a second chance by proposing that a monitor be appointed to oversee exports of rough diamonds from Marange.

Weeks later, the EU proposed a well-known British diamond expert, who is also a former senior De Beers executive, as the first monitor to oversee exports of diamonds from Marange over the next six months.

On December 30, Bernard Esau, Namibia's deputy mines minister, wrote to the EU rejecting its suggestion and said that Zimbabwe had signed a memorandum of agreement for a monitor from Global Diamond Valuators, Namibia, Pty Ltd, to oversee exports of rough diamonds from Marange.

The appointment of a monitor had become urgent when Zimbabwe advertised that an auction of 300 000 carats from Marange would take place on January 7, but then cancelled the auction at the last minute. Well-placed sources say they expect Zimbabwe will go ahead with its diamond auction in Harare next week.

Israel became chair of the Kimberley Process on January 1, but failed to answer questions sent to it this week about Zimbabwe's unilateral appointment of a monitor.

By IOL