Zimbabwe court approves 'blood diamond' sale
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h-Lg0-1R1Iov65t5g52-SU7Z7fhAHARARE — The Zimbabwe high court has approved the sale of diamonds from a field plagued by human rights abuses, as Harare moved to defy the Kimberley Process, state-run media reported Tuesday.
The sale of the Marange diamonds belonging to British-owned African Consolidated Resources was blocked last year by the international regulator after it found that Zimbabwe had failed to comply with human rights standards.
Harare initially stopped the sale pending authorisation from local authorities and the Kimberley Process -- set up to prevent the sale of so-called blood diamonds, which are used to fund rebel movements.
"We are going to benefit from our diamonds whether with the KP (Kimberley Process) or not," he said, according to the state-run New Ziana news agency.
"This is what the country has been waiting for. These resources belong to the people of Zimbabwe," Mpofu added. "These people (Westerners) have clearly taken their sanctions agenda to another level."