Zimbabwe is trying to reach an agreement to distribute its stones directly to China, Dubai and Israel without violating rules against the sale of gems from the Marange fields, Chris Mutsvangwa, chairman of the state-owned Mineral Marketing Corporation Ltd., said, Bloomberg reported.

The U.S. may also get involved in the discussions, Mutsvangwa said on the sidelines of a Chamber of Mines annual meeting in Nyanga on Friday, said the report. The proposal wouldn’t violate rules because with the exception of the Marange region, Zimbabwe was certified compliant in 2010.

Zimbabwe's diamond industry was responsible for the production of 8 million carats of diamonds in 2012 worth $865 million, and is considered to be the world’s seventh largest diamond producer, according to the Bloomberg report. Its output this year is estimated at 16 million carats, according to Mines Minister Obert Mpofu.

Diamond mining in Zimbabwe was mostly confined to central and southern parts of the country and expanded to the eastern district of Marange after the discovery of alluvial diamonds, boosting production since 2006. Diamonds from Marange can’t be exported legally from Zimbabwe because the field hasn’t yet met an international certification standard showing that proceeds from sales aren’t used to finance conflict, the report said.