HRD says it avoids stolen diamonds

Antwerp’s Hoge Raad voor Diamant (HRD) has denied allegations on that it turns a blind eye to black market diamonds from Sierra Leone, Reuters reported. “No other product is controlled more thoroughly than diamonds entering Antwerp,” Reuters quoted HRD as saying.

HRD was responding to a report published on Wednesday by Partnership Africa Canada (PAC) that said it was ignoring clear signs that the diamonds bought from Liberia and other nearby states had been smuggled out of Sierra Leone.

In a speech in Freetown on Thursday, Peter Hain, Minister of State in the Foreign Office, said the British government would donate office equipment to help set up the new Strategic Resources Commission to ensure that Sierra Leone’s rich natural resources benefited its people.

“I am determined to look for ways to stamp out the theft of Sierra Leone’s diamonds, and the way they have been used to fund conflict, not to fund peace, stability and prosperity. Diamonds must be used to help re-build Sierra Leone’s schools and hospitals, not to destroy them,” Hain said.