Zimbabwe twofer
Two stories from Zimbabwe -- first from the UK
Telegraph:
Zimbabwe escapes 'blood diamonds' ban
Human rights groups had called on the Kimberley Process, which certifies diamonds as being conflict-free, to suspend exports from the country, following the widely reported deaths of hundreds of people when the Zimbabwean army took control of the Marange gem fields.
The Zimbabwean government denies a massacre took place.
The move would have dealt a major blow to President Robert Mugabe, as members of his Zanu-PF party allegedly use the wealth of the area, in eastern Zimbabwe, to ensure the loyalty of the military and police.
But sources inside a meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) in Namibia said that despite a suspension recommendation from its own working group, it would instead send in a monitor to the area who would vet future exports. It was not clear how the scheme would work in practice.
And the Kimberley Process from one of its architects:
Ian Smillie, one of the architects of the Kimberley Process who resigned earlier this year in protest at how it was working, said: "The whole thing is farcical, irresponsible and a disgrace.
"Here we have a government that has lied repeatedly to the KP - clearly stated in the KP report - has a tenuous grip on its diamond industry - and that courtesy of gross human rights violations - and the regulatory body that is supposed to assure consumers that the diamonds its certifies are clean ignores its responsibility and sets up an open-ended tea party.
"It will turn the KP into a laughing stock and give Zimbabwe more or less carte blanche for business as usual."
But the liberals love Mugabe -- he be sticken' it to the man.
How many murders are on the souls of the communists, maoists, marxists, liberals, etc? 400,000,000 give or take...
Second item -- from
Reuters:
Zimbabwe proposes local ownership of foreign firms
Zimbabwe's government has proposed that "indigenous Zimbabweans" take 51 percent ownership of all foreign companies, including mines and banks, according to a draft law seen by Reuters Friday.
An official at the Chamber of Mines expressed surprise and concern at the proposed legislation, prepared by the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment.
"We haven't seen the regulations but if what we've heard is true, then that's a step back. It goes against what we've been discussing with the Ministry of Mines and other ministries," the official, who declined to be named, said.
The draft regulations said indigenous Zimbabweans should hold a controlling interest in each foreign-owned business with an asset value above $500,000.
Great -- so now they can do to all of their other industries what they did to their farmers. Nothing says success like going from a major food exporter to a nation where starvation is the norm for 99% of the population.
Posted by DaveH at November 6, 2009 7:18 PM