Zimbabwe escapes temporary sale ban

       Zimbabwe on Thursday evaded a temporary ban from a global scheme to ban trade on conflict diamonds despite calls for the country to be suspended over human rights abuses in its gem fields.
       A four-day Kimberley Process (KP)meeting handed Zimbabwe a June 2010 deadline to implement a work-plan, rejecting the scheme's own recommendation made four months ago that Harare face a six-month suspension.
       "Zimbabwe is not suspended as was proposed, a joint work plan was adopted by this plenary meeting," said outgoing KP chair and Namibian deputy mining minister Bernard Esau late Thursday.
       A KP reviewmission to Zimbabwe in July recommended a six-month suspension over human rights abuses alleged by the army against civilians in the eastern Marange diamond fields.
       But Esau, who visited the area in August, said the meeting had decided that Zimbabwe would instead have "until June 2010 to implement the work plan."
       "It was felt that we should give Zimbabwe the opportunity to address issues of compliance like removing the military from the Marange diamond fields," said Esau."If Zimbabwe is not compliant at the next review meeting in June 2010,the KP will have to think of other measures, but let us give them a chance."
       Civil society groups had demanded the suspension of Zimbabwe's international diamond trade, with KP investigators in July citing "unacceptable and horrific violence against civilians by au-thorities" in the eastern gem fields.
       "We fear the the KP plenary meeting might not take decisive steps about Zimbabwe," said Anne Dunnebacke from Global Witness, which wants Zimbabwe suspended from importing and exporting rough diamonds, ahead of the meeting.
       In a joint communique issued at the end of the Kimberley meeting, the 37 members in attendance welcomed "Zimbabwe's commitment to urgently start implementation of the joint work plan."
       The communique called on KP participants to ensure compliance with the system's certification scheme in Zimbabwe and to apply vigilance measures to contain illicit trade of Marange diamonds.
       "The work plan was adopted by all parties attending the plenary, including Zimbabwe," Esau said in the coastal town of Swakopmund, saying that Marange had seen some improvement with the fencing off of the diamond fields.
       The KP's working group chaired by the European Community would appoint a one or two-member team to work with Zimbabwe to implement the plan,he added.
       The meeting also resolved to assist Venezuela, which voluntarily withdrew last September, to implement reforms in order for the south American country to be re-admitted the KP process.
       "The Kimberley Process (KP) is assisting Venezuela in developing a plan of action to implement minimum standards to eventually fully re-integrate the country to the scheme ," said the communique.