(Rapaport…June 28, 2006) Liberia’s ministry of lands, mines, and energy began a workshop dedicated to addressing United Nations Security Council demands on making the country Kimberley Process compliant. The three day meeting was organized by Liberia to educate attendees about processes, and to train mining and government personnel, on the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) rules and procedures, the ministry reported in a press release.
Additionally the government planned to dedicate a training session for artisanal diamond miners from the Mano River region.
During the meeting officials will also analyze distribution of revenues from diamond sales and recommend steps and measures to improve legal distribution of diamonds in Liberia.
The conference was expected to attract facilitators from the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast.)
The United Nations renewed diamond sanctions from Liberia in June, but suggested a review of sanctions would be possible in three-months time.