Liberia: Gov't Makes Progress With Kimberley Process

30 November 2006
The Inquirer (Monrovia)

The government of Liberia has made significant progress toward compliance with the Kimberley Process, a precondition for the lifting of the United Nations Sanctions on diamonds.

According to an Information Ministry release, the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy reported to Cabinet Friday that it has developed the instruments to document transactions and establish a chain of custody enabling government to track diamonds from mining sites to exportation.

The hardware and software for establishing the database system for capturing Kimberley Process Compliance (KPC) statistics will be installed this November to coincide with the installation of the gemology equipment and furnishing provided by DeBeers and the Dubai Diamond Exchange, according to the release.

The government has also revised the Mineral and Mining Law to comply with Kimberley Process Compliance, completed construction of the Government Diamond Office (GDO), and conducted a series of seminars for miners, brokers, dealers and exporters, which explained the new system and the requirements outlined in the new mining law of 2004 for Kimberley Process compliance.

Meanwhile, the Liberian government has lauded several foreign institutions and governments for their technical and financial support to ensure the country's compliance with the Kimberley Process.

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