UN panel on diamonds to visit African, Western capitals

An independent panel appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to collect information on the link between the illegal trade in diamonds and arms trafficking in Sierra Leone begins a series of visits next week to several African and Western European capitals, a UN spokesman said in New York. The five-member team will attend an intergovernmental diamonds conference to be held in Pretoria, South Africa, on 16 September, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said. It will also collect information on possible violations of the arms embargo and the adequacy of air traffic control systems in the region. Liberia has been accused by Western governments of diamond and arms smuggling with Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front, but has denied the allegations and challenged the international community to provide evidence of its involvement.