Angola update:
Tuesday, July 6, 1999 Published at 09:45 GMT 10:45 UK
World: Africa
Sanctions chief targets
diamond trade
By BBC Correspondent Lara Pawson in Luanda
The head of the UN's sanctions committee for Angola,
Robert Fowler, is starting a tour of Europe for talks on
ways of strengthening sanctions against the Angolan
rebel group, Unita.
He is expected to focus on illegal diamond trading by
Unita as well as ways to reduce its supplies of arms and
petroleum.
His visit to Europe comes less than two months after a
tour of seven African states where he began examining
the possibility of reducing Unita's strength.
Mr Fowler is expected to meet representatives of De
Beers in London before travelling to Antwerp, one of the
world's major diamond trading centres.
He is also considering flying on to Kiev to investigate
arms trading but in Luanda there is an overriding feeling
in the capital that sanctions won't work.
Short of options
Short of ideas on how to bring Angola's warring sides to
a position of compromise, the UN has been left with little
option but to step up sanctions against Unita.
Prohibiting the rebels' arms and petroleum supplies and
its capacity to trade diamonds are among the most
important measures.
On Monday, Angola's state radio focused its report on
Mr Fowler's most recent announcement; from now on, all
diamonds that are up for sale must bear a certificate of
origin.
The aim is to hinder sales by Unita, led by Jonas
Savimbi.
The UN estimates that since 1992, Unita has amassed
between up to $4bn from illegal diamond trading. Most of
this money has been ploughed into arms supplies.
As worthy as the UN's quest is, however, many
observers in Luanda doubt sanctions will work.
Fake certificates
An executive of one mining company described Angola's
diamond industry as anarchical.
In his view, too many people too well versed in
smuggling requires the UN to litter the country with
observers and the borders with checkpoints.
Other analysts point out that like most things in Angola,
for the right fee, certificates of origin are easy to
duplicate.
Perhaps a more telling opinion however is that of a
Western diplomat here.
Candidly, he argued that every single sanction against
Unita is substantiated by the Lusaka protocol to force
Savimbi to comply with the agreement. But there is no
longer a protocol.
While sanctions may pinch the power of Unita, the
thorny issue of negotiations between the two sides will
nevertheless remain.
PHIL |
