Zimbabwe diamonds deal to allow partial exports
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Saturday, July 17, 2010
The body overseeing the trade in "blood diamonds" has agreed that Zimbabwe can resume limited exports from new diamond fields in the east of the country
Under the terms of the deal, Zimbabwe will be able to sell some stockpiles.
It may be able to resume full exports after a review of conditions at the Marange diamond fields in September.
The Kimberley Process suspended the diamond exports in November in response to allegations of atrocities committed by security forces at Marange.
There have been weeks of deadlock over the negotiations and the deal in Russia came only after a Zimbabwean human rights activist was released on bail earlier this week.
Farai Maguwu is accused of providing false information about the diamond trade and was arrested after meeting a representative of the Kimberley Process on 3 June.
His continued detention scuppered attempts to reach a deal on Zimbabwe's diamond exports at a Kimberly Process meeting in Israel last month.
Campaigners said a crisis had been averted by a last-minute deal.