§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what plans he has to consult his counterparts in the European Union on the question of formulating cross-frontier measures to prevent the importation of diamonds traded by, and on behalf of, the UNITA organisation in Angola;
(2) what plans he has to take measures to prevent Angolan diamonds, stolen and traded by UNITA, being imported and marketed in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. HeseltineI have no such plans. There is no reliable way of identifying the geographical origin of diamonds imported into the United Kingdom. Technically, it is seldom possible to do so and the channels of distribution are also varied and complex. It would be impractical to track the origin and provenance, legal or otherwise, of individual stones. Nor, for the same reasons, would it be practicable to seek a Community-wide restriction.