Written question asked by Lord Avebury (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 July 2010.

Zimbabwe

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals the European Union will make at the mini-summit of Kimberley Process (KP) participants to be held during the World Diamond Council annual meeting in St Petersburg on 14 and 15 July about the position of the KP monitor to Zimbabwe, Mr Abbey Chikane, following his disclosure to the Zimbabwean authorities of a confidential discussion he had with Mr Farai Maguwu, and the latter’s arrest.

Answer: In St Petersburg the EU will seek to agree with civil society representatives, the rough diamond industry and Kimberly Process (KP) participants how to improve the quality, independence and credibility of the monitoring mechanism. The EU expressed its concerns to Mr Chikane, both directly and through the KP, about his reported role in Farai Maguwu's arrest. Although a number of KP members have called for Mr Chikane's removal, others support him, maintaining that Mr Chikane cannot be held responsible for the actions of state agencies and that the KP has no mandate to interfere in internal legal proceedings. The UK will continue to work closely with the EU to monitor the effectiveness of the monitoring mechanism.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 1208; 720 c210-2WA
Session: 2010-12
Subjects: Arrests Human rights Exports EU action Mining Monitoring Zimbabwe Diamonds World Diamond Council Maguwu, Farai Chikane, Abbey
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk