Matthew A. Runci, President and CEO of Jewelers of America, has written to Stephane Chardon, Chair of the Working Group on Monitoring (WGM) of the Kimberley Process, seeking the cessation of diamond shipments from Zimbabwe.

Runci says that a recent confirmation from the WGM that multiple shipments of rough diamonds moved from Zimbabwe to the United Arab Emirates during the period December 2009 through April 2010 – in apparent contravention of both the Swakopmund Decision and the JWP –serves to underscore the very fragile state of the Kimberley Process today.

“We are gravely concerned by reports in recent days of violations of the Swakopmund Decision and the Joint Work Plan (JWP). Therefore, in order to ensure consumer confidence in the products we sell, we feel it would be a critical mistake for the KP to authorize the resumption of shipments of any goods from Marange until there is renewed assurance by the WGM that corrective measures have been instituted to make certain that the KP rules will be followed in the future,” writes Runci.

While Runci says that JA is ‘encouraged by the swift action of the chair of the WGM in calling for further investigation’, he notes that ‘serious consideration should also be given to UAE actions in this matter, if the alleged shipment of diamonds were not confiscated, because if illicit exports are banned, then so must illicit imports’.

“Consumer confidence in diamonds has been preserved to this point precisely because KP is largely seen by interested parties as a solution to the original problem – not perfect but substantial. But reports of shipments of goods from Marange repeatedly crossing at least two sets of borders in apparent contravention of the Swakopmund Decision and the JWP, challenges the effectiveness of KP in terms of its founding purpose,” explains Runci.

“If KP is seen to be unable to meet the formidable challenge presented by troubled situations, such as is the case in Zimbabwe, then its high rate of compliance in routine situations will, we fear, be judged as largely irrelevant to its original purpose,” warns Runci.

“Until more is known about the circumstances that made it possible for these shipments to move without regard to the rules established – and equally importantly until there is renewed confidence that corrective measures have been instituted to ensure that the KP rules will be followed in the future – we feel it would be a critical mistake for the KP to authorize the resumption of shipments of any goods from Marange,” concludes Runci.