(Rapaport…November 20, 2001) A group of United Nations experts has recommended imposing a moratorium on the purchase and import of precious natural resources, including diamonds, copper and gold, in areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) controlled by foreign or rebel forces. The recommendation comes after the group — known as the UN Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the DRC — found that numerous individuals and institutions use the turmoil and chaos caused by the country’s civil war to get rich by exploiting the country’s resources. The panel presented its findings to the Security Council adding that the moratorium could help encourage finalization of the regulatory procedures being developed for diamonds in the Kimberley Process.
Security Council President Patricia Durrant of Jamaica told the press there had been a “useful exchange” with the panel’s chairman, Mahmoud Kassem of Egypt.