Rep. Hall Says Kimberly Process is “In Trouble”

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(Rapaport…August 24, 2001) Rep. Tony Hall (D-Ohio), announced at the World Diamond Conference on mining in Vancouver, British Columbia that he thought the Kimberly Process was “in trouble” and that “The Clean Diamonds Act” might not win Congressional approval this year.

Hall said that Kimberly Process deadlines have already been missed. Last month, Kimberly Process delegates meeting in Moscow adopted minimum acceptable standards for a certification system to stem the trade of conflict diamonds.

Abbey Chikane, the leader of the Kimberly Process and the head of South Africa’s Diamond Board, told Reuters that “it may be an exaggeration to say the Kimberly Process is in trouble. I am not sure that it is in trouble.”

Hall said that he met with representatives of De Beers on August 23 to communicate his concerns about the need to resolve the conflict diamond issue. “The U.S. has an obligation to stop this carnage,” said Hall, “because it is the right thing to do, and because, like it or not, Americans buy a lot of diamonds.”