DDE's Meeus Attacks NGOs' Criticism of KP
June 21, 13
(IDEX Online News) – Dubai Diamond Exchange Chairman Peter Meeus, attacked non-government organizations (NGOs) monitoring the diamond industry at the Angola Diamond Centenary Conference on Friday. 
He said the NGOs were over-zealous in their activities given the fact that less than 0.2 percent of diamonds are considered to be conflict diamonds.
He asked why they were so vigorous in their criticism of the diamond business. "Definitely not because there are more conflict diamonds than there were twelve years ago. So why is it then? Could it be because the NGO's became a small business themselves and that the funds available are less so that the competition for the funds is stronger and the need to tell strong stories higher.
"Could it be that the NGO’s themselves are fighting for their own relevance? Could it be that this is one of the reasons why we are basically confronted with something I cannot call otherwise than fantasies – some would call it lies - which fit perfectly well in a horror movie but which do not have any factual substance. Like the story two years ago about the torture camp in Marange. Or like the story on daily killings in the Lunda provinces in Angola?
"Stories which are then disseminated to news media around the world and which are good for publicity and for fundraising. But which are blatantly untrue. Can anyone give me any other reason why the NGO's do not exercise the same due diligence they ask from rough diamond buyers over their own story suppliers. Is that due diligence from the NGO side? Businesses should be accountable.
"Politicians have to be accountable. Isn’t it time for NGO’s to be accountable also? And after being confronted with the same kind of fantasies can one understand that the relations are now below freezing level. Because there are limits to which ends you go to reach your goals. Even for NGO's.
"So indeed it's time to come to a new understanding in the KP. It's time to restore what the initial gentlemen's agreement was all about. So let me come with a solution rather than keep passing each other the hot potato which is what is going on now since the US took over the Chair.
" A certification scheme is a certification scheme and is not a human rights violation checker. Let judges do what they are used to do. Judge infringements. Judge violations. Beyond reasonable doubt. In all objectivity. Not biased," he concluded.