§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the United States Government about conflict diamonds; and if he will make a statement. [149990]
§ Mr. WilsonWe are in regular contact with the Government of the United States of America on the subject of conflict diamonds. Both Governments are playing an active role in the current series of meetings of the Kimberley process, a grouping of all the major participants in the diamond sector, involving Governments, industry and civil society. We hope that the Kimberley process will lead to the adoption by the end of the year of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds, as envisaged in the United Nations resolution adopted by the General Assembly last December. Such a scheme would make an invaluable contribution to preventing illegally mined rough diamonds fuelling civil conflict.