(Rapaport… April 28, 2003) The Czech Gemological Association (CGA) has expressed “deep regret” over the delay in the implementation of the Kimberley Process in the Czech Republic. The non-profit organization is also disappointed “that the government of the Czech Republic was not able to prepare and implement fundamental rules to combat the trade in conflict diamonds.”
The CGA blames gemstone scandals in the beginning of the 1990’s and fundamental statistical errors in the fall of 2002 for preventing the realization of a clear and transparent control and monitoring system formulated by the CGA. According to the organization, officially published statistical data about the export and import of diamonds in the Czech Republic represent negligible business only. The CGA claims the statistics contradict their estimations about “real, illegal business dealings with gemstones in the Republic.”
This “misunderstanding” between the CGA and government representatives resulted in the CGA being effectively expelled from active control and monitoring of the gemstone trade in the Czech Republic, including the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. Consequently, there will be no “expert” on the scheme in the Czech delegation to the Kimberley Process summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, which started on April 28, 2003. Nevertheless, the CGA maintains its willingness to help the Czech government to become a Kimberley Process participant as soon as possible.