PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIRMEN OF ANGOLA AND SIERRA LEONE SANCTIONS BODIES

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIRMEN OF ANGOLA AND SIERRA LEONE SANCTIONS BODIES

For the first time, the General Assembly would take up the issue of diamonds as a catalyst for conflict, Juan Larraín (Chile), Chairman of the Security Council's Angola Sanctions Monitoring Mechanism, told correspondents at a press conference this afternoon. Present at the press conference were Martin Chungong Ayafor (Cameroon), Chairman of the Panel of Experts on Sierra Leone and Paul Heinbecker (Canada), Chairman of the Council’s Angola Sanctions Committee.

Mr. Larraín said that issue's inclusion on the agenda of the current Assembly session, at the initiative of the United Kingdom, highlighted the importance that the General Assembly attached to the role played by conflict diamonds in prolonging brutal wars in parts of Africa such as Angola and Sierra Leone.

Asked when his panel expected to have concrete findings, Mr. Ayafor replied that it was still organizing its work and intended to visit the field in the next few days. The other members of the Sierra Leone panel are Atabou Bodian (Senegal), Johan Peleman (Belgium), Harjit Singh Sandhu (India) and Ian Smillie (Canada).

(Under Security Council resolution 1306 [2000], the panel is expected to report to the Council no later than 31 October with observations and recommendations on ways to strengthen the arms and diamond embargoes imposed on Sierra Leone).

Mr. Ayafor told another correspondent that he was unable, for the moment, to give a specific answer as to whether the diamond market was complying with the embargo against Sierra Leone. The panel had neither done any investigations nor collected any data. That would be done without prejudging the results of the panel's mission.

Asked whether the panel would investigate claims by some Western newspapers that Nigerian peacekeepers were involved in Sierra Leone's illicit diamond trade, Mr. Ayafor replied that given the importance of the assignment, no stone would be left unturned, provided the information the panel was seeking would help it eventually.

In response to another question, he said he had no idea what percentage of diamonds coming on the market were conflict diamonds. The panel was assembling data and once it had done so it would be able to report precise findings to the Sanctions Committee. The information would then be made available to the media.

Asked whether the Sierra Leone Government's diamond certification programme was “up and running”, following approval of the scheme by the Sanctions Committee, and what proportion of mines were actually in Government hands, Mr. Ayafor said he could not give any specific indication as the panel had not yet been to the field.

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* Revised to correct headline. Sanctions Bodies Press Conference - 2 - 11 September 2000

To what extent were the Angola and Sierra Leone panels working together in tracing weapons sources? he was then asked.

Mr. Ayafor replied that the two panels would exchange any information they could gather on either situation. There was no doubt that the illegal sale of diamonds had facilitated the purchase of weapons in both conflicts.

Asked what the General Assembly could do that the Security Council had not already done, Mr. Heinbecker said that stopping the trade in conflict diamonds would take more than just the efforts of Council members and their urging of others to take the matter seriously. The Assembly, as the body representing the entire United Nations membership and the Organization's legitimacy, also had to take an interest.

When could a response be expected from those accused of breaking the embargoes? another correspondent asked.

Mr. Larraín replied that the Monitoring Mechanism would report to the Sanctions Committee. It could not prejudge what the Security Council would decide following the Committee's recommendation. Other members of the Monitoring Mechanism are Christine Gordon (United Kingdom), James Manzou (Zimbabwe), Ismaila Seck (Senegal) and Lena Sundh (Sweden).

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