South Africa Invites KP Mission to Check Diamond Industry
September 28, 04 by Albert Robinson
Keen to show its compliance with the Kimberley Process (KP), South Africa invited a delegation from the conflict diamond body to check its diamond industry and give it a clean bill of health.
Led by Canada's Natural Resources Director, Denis Lagace, the mission was in the country for two days and visited a range of sites, including government documentation and licensing offices and various production locations.
The details of sellers and buyers were also checked using the certificates that are required by the KP.
KP comments on the visit are only likely to be published after process chairman Tim Martin of Canada has been briefed.
A spokesman for De Beers confirmed KP delegates had held talks with the mining giant at which both sides had seen eye-to-eye on all issues.
Earlier this year, the KP suspended the Republic of Congo from the process after a review mission found vast discrepancies between its annual diamond exports and its production levels.
The Canadian-led KP mission left South Africa following its two-day visit for Lesotho last week.
In addition to South Africa, Israel and Dubai have also invited KP missions to check their diamond sectors and received high marks for their efforts to prevent trading in conflict diamonds.
