The Kimberly Process may have issued a statement that the controversial Marange diamonds could be traded internationally by Zimbabwe but the United States and Canada have rejected it. The Kimberly Process issued an administrative statement about the compromise it had reached with Zimbabwe on the export of the controversial diamonds.
The compromise was reached at the KP Intercessional Meeting held June 20-23 2011 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mathieu Yamba the chairman of the Kimberly Process said that they had endorsed the exports from Marange. President Robert Mugabe had vowed to sell Zimbabwe's diamonds “with or without the Kimberley Process”. A fact that the US is not happy with.
Victoria Nuland a U.S. department spokeswoman in Washington said that the U.S. was disappointed with the Kinshasa meeting and said that until consensus was reached exports from Marange should not proceed.
She added that they were ready to work with the Kimberley Process chair and others to find a solution. The Kimberley Process works best when producers and consumers are collaborating and when civil society is an active participant she said.
The U.S. is supported by Canada as their Foreign Affairs minister John Baird said contrary to the chair’s notice, key concerns were not addressed and Canada, and like-minded states, did not endorse the proposal submitted by the chair. He added that the notice was issued in contravention of rules and procedures of the Kimberley Process.