Russia blocks inclusion of Ukraine debate at Kasane meet

Mbongeni Mguni | Monday June 6, 2022 06:00

Brainstorming: Minerals and energy minister, Moagi recently met with his South African counterpart, Gwede Mantashe to discuss several topical issues, including Botswana’s bid to host the Kimberley Process Secretariat PIC: MBONGENI MGUNI

KP, consisting of 85 countries, diamond producers, observer groups, and civic organisations, is the diamond industry’s broadest and most authoritative grouping, enjoying the backing of the United Nations (UN).

While the West has sanctioned Russian diamonds since that country invaded Ukraine in February, the stones are still flowing through the global diamond industry through Russo-neutral cutting and polishing centres such as India and China.

A debate on Russia and possible sanctions at the KP level would have represented a global censure of Russian stones, cutting off a key revenue flow for Moscow. Russia is the world’s largest producer of natural rough diamonds, followed by Botswana.

Minerals and Energy minister, Lefhoko Moagi confirmed that the matter had been proposed for debate.

“As you may understand, decisions of the KP are by consensus and therefore if there’s an issue that has been brought to the table of the KP process, it must come into the agenda and it must be addressed. “So the issue around Russia Ukraine has come into the agenda and the members will discuss it at the intercessional meeting then we will see what the outcomes are,” he said in a brief interview recently.

Botswana is chairing the Kimberley Process for 2022 and as such hosts its biannual meetings.

BusinessWeek is further informed that because the KP operates on consensus, even proposed agenda items have to circulate without objection before they are adopted for debate on the first day of the upcoming meeting in Kasane.

Sources close to the latest developments told BusinessWeek that after the matter was proposed for the agenda, Russia and Belarus had raised objections, essentially killing any plans to progress debate on the matter.

Members of the KP may, however, raise the matter in their debates on the floor, but by not appearing on the official agenda, the Russian question will not force the meeting into a vote on any action.

“The proposals put by the US were not about the action to be taken against Russia, but that the matter should be discussed,” an insider following the matter told BusinessWeek. “However, among other members, there is a feeling that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is not a matter for the diamond industry to discuss. “The US and others will, however, try and force the issue into any international forum possible, even though in this case, some feel it does not apply.

The US and its allies as well as civic groups had hoped the upcoming meeting would allow debate on the expansion of the definition of 'conflict diamonds' so that it includes actions such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

While the definition of what constitutes a conflict diamond has come up for robust debate at each of the KP’s three-year internal reviews since at least 2006, the consensus rules mean it remains limited to “rough diamonds used to finance wars against legitimate governments”.

Analysts have said the KP risks losing relevance if it fails to adequately expand the definition of conflict diamonds to include Russia’s actions, as global consumers of diamonds are increasingly sensitive to the ethical sourcing of the stones. The analysts have said with Russia’s stones continuing to trade in the global market, ethical consumers could either be turned off diamonds completely or turn to synthetic diamonds whose sources are easier to establish.