Zimbabwe Diamond Conference ends on high positive note, Zimbabwe declared fully compliant with KP requirements

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe — November 13, 2012: The Zimbabwe Diamond Conference 2012 concluded today successfully after two days of talks, presentations and discussions in the presence of His Excellency President Robert Mugabe, former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, ministers of mining from other African diamond producing countries and many international diamond industry leaders and diamond company captains.

The conference focused on resolving the outstanding obstacles that currently continue to restrict the free flow of rough diamonds from Zimbabwe into the downstream markets.

In his closing statement, Honourable Minister of Mines and Mine Development, Obert Moses Mpofu said that he is delighted with the unequivocal reaffirmation issued by the Kimberley Process Certification System Chair that Zimbabwe is fully KP compliant.

Minister Mpofu reported that the conference had attracted more than 480 participants, deeming it one of the best attended diamond conferences in recent times. He recognized, lauded and thanked the many governmental dignitaries and captains of industry for making their way to Victoria Falls and for their valuable contributions to the conference’s programme, presentations and discussions.

“It was our great pleasure and honour to host you here and we hope this visit will serve as standing invitation for you all to come back soon,” he said.

Noting that Zimbabwe may well hold in excess of 25 percent of the world’s diamond deposits, and adding that wide prospective areas are still to be explored, he elaborated: “At this conference, it has become very clear how important and pivotal our country’s diamond mining sector is, not only for the economy of Zimbabwe at large but also for the social and economic development of local communities,” he said.

“Therefore, to assure that Zimbabwe will continue toward positive economic development, it is pertinent that we can successfully trade rough diamonds and that there is a free flow of funds between – legitimate – diamond trading companies,” Minister Mpofu added.

At the concluding session, on the conference’s second day, Eli Izhakoff, president of the World Diamond Council, announced that, pending WDC board approval, he will engage the United States Treasury and the European Community to lift sanctions on diamonds from Zimbabwe, to preserve the integrity of the KP system.

Thanking the WDC president for his initiative, minister Mpofu said that he consequently intends to call upon the NGO’s to desist their campaigning against Zimbabwe in the various downstream markets.