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80e jaargang, nr 4, augustus / september 2010

de belgische diamantnijverheid Periodieke uitgave van het Syndikaat der Belgische Diamantnijverheid Periodical Publication of the Syndicate of the Belgian Diamond Industry

editoriaal

Verantwoordelijke uitgever Responsable editor Eduard Denckens Dennenlaan 2 2243 Zandhoven

Redactie en Publiciteit Editorial Office and Publicity SBD Hoveniersstraat 22, 2018 Antwerpen Tel. : 03/233.11.29 - Fax : 03/227.46.30 e-mail: sbd@sbd.be

Redactiecomité Editorial Board Eduard Denckens, Jos Heiremans, Linda Vancauwenberghe, Alfons Van Genechten, Yvan Verbraeck

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Tegen de achtergrond van een aantal belangrijke gebeurtenissen zoals het vertrek van Gareth Penny als ceo van De Beers en het groene licht dat aan Zimbabwe gegeven werd om de uitvoer van ruwe diamanten van de Marangevelden opnieuw op te nemen, heeft tijdens de eerste helft van juli in het Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moskou het 34ste Werelddiamantcongres plaatsgevonden.

Omwille van het belang van het ruw van Zimbabwe voor de wereldwijde diamantmarkt besteedde IDMA een groot deel van haar werkvergaderingen aan dit onderwerp. IDMA-voorzitter Moti Ganz deelde de IDMA-leden mee dat hij, samen met handelsconsulent Chaim Even-Zohar, ter plaatse in Zimbabwe de Marangediamantvelden had geïnspecteerd en politici op sleutelposities in Harare had ontmoet.

Op het wereldcongres heeft Even-Zohar een diepgaand overzicht van de Marange-productie gegeven. Ganz drong er bij de deelnemers van het Kimberley Process Certification Schedule op aan om de bevindingen te aanvaarden van het Abbey Chicane-rapport, de Kimberley Process Monitor voor Zimbabwe, en om snel de ruwe diamanten van Zimbabwe in de wettige diamantpijplijn op te nemen.

De IDMA-voorzitter besloot zijn uiteenzetting met te zeggen dat, indien men er niet in zou slagen de Marange-diamanten wettig te laten verhandelen, de industrie in een onhoudbare situatie op de ruwmarkt terecht komt. “We moeten dit doen om het leven van de mensen in Zimbabwe beter te maken. We moeten dit onmiddellijk doen omdat

het plotseling vrijkomen van grote hoeveelheden ruwe diamanten, die zich in de diamantpijplijn aan het opstapelen zijn, voor een catastrofe op de markt zou zorgen,” zo nog Ganz.

De regering van Zimbabwe zegt dat zij diamanten ter waarde van tussen 1 en 2 miljard dollar heeft opgeslagen en dat zij voor 4,4 miljoen karaat ter verkoop heeft klaarliggen.

President Mugabe van Zimbabwe heeft intussen het parlement duidelijk gemaakt dat de ruwverkoop het land de zo nodige duw in de rug zou geven.

Mugabe streeft dit jaar naar een economische groei met 5,4%.

Tijdens de jaarlijkse bijeenkomst van de World Diamond Council (WDC) is het Kimberley Process er in geslaagd een overeenkomst te bereiken over de heropname van de uitvoer van ruwe diamanten van Zimbabwe uit de huidige productie van de Mbadaen Canadile-mijnen.

Waar Moti Ganz nog aan toevoegde dat het duidelijk moet zijn dat de handel in niet KMgecertifieerde ruwe diamanten strikt verboden is en blijft. “Tijdens onze onderhandelingen in de loop van de voorbije dagen hier in Moskou hebben de IDMA-leden telkens weer hun onvoorwaardelijke steun aan de politiek en de acties van de World Diamond Council herhaald en in de strengst mogelijke termen hun verdediging van de mensenrechten beklemtoond en van hun ontwikkeling op lange termijn voor alle mensen, die bij de diamantpijplijn betrokken zijn en het verlangen dat zij voordeel uit hun werk zouden halen.”

Tijdens de gemeenschappelijke werkvergadering van IDMA/WFDB kondigde Stephane Fischler aan dat de IDC-rules in het Chinees en het Russisch vertaald zijn.

De IDMA/WFDB-bijeenkomst was des te belangrijker daar we alleen maar akkoord kunnen gaan met Avi Paz van de World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) die zei dat “de diamantindustrie geconfronteerd blijft worden met de naweeën van de wereldwijde economische crisis.” En hij voegde daar nog aan toe dat “men zonder aarzeling kan zeggen dat wij ons middenin de moeilijkste tijd uit de geschiedenis van ons zakelijke bestaan bevinden, een tijd waarin ieder van onze leden op een of andere manier door de gevolgen daarvan getroffen is.”

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Voor de WFDB reden genoeg om een internationale bijeenkomst te organiseren met de bedoeling de leefbaarheid en de stabiliteit van de ruwbevoorrading en de voortzetting van de industriële en handelsactiviteiten te garanderen.

De eerste praktische beslissing was de aanvaarding van de Zuid-Koreaanse diamantbeurs als 29ste lid van de WFDB, wat haar voorzitter, Jae Kim, de mogelijkheid bood aan te kondigen dat zij op de komende Aziatische beurstop in staat zal zijn als een volwaardig WFDB-lid deel te nemen.

Het merendeel van de andere werkvergaderingen werd besteed aan de impasse waarin zich op dat ogenblik de onderhandelingen omtrent de toepassing van het Kimberley Process Certification Schedule in Zimbabwe bevonden.

Avi Paz had beslist gelijk toen hij beklemtoonde “dat het beslist geen toeval was dat het Kimberley Process in Zuid-Afrika geboren was. Tien jaar geleden begrepen de mensen van dat land, net als hun buren in Botswana en Namibië, dat een oplossing voor het probleem van de conflictdiamanten niet bestond in het bedreigen van de fundamenten van een business waarvan het lot van miljoenen landgenoten afhing. De oplossing zou veeleer liggen in het vinden van gemeenschappelijke doelstellingen tussen de regering, de diamant- en juwelenindustrie en vertegenwoordigers van de NGO’s.

Laatstgenoemden weerhielden Avi Paz er echter niet van daaraan toe te voegen dat “zonder ervan uit te gaan dat wij door het Kimberley Process te helpen opzetten, de geschiedenisboeken herschreven hebben. Politieke onrust, hoewel niet noodzakelijk, burgeroorlog blijft bestaan, niet alleen in Afrika maar ook in Latijns Amerika en elders. En telkens wanneer er diamantafzettingen bij betrokken zijn, vragen de mensen zich af of wij wel de juiste dingen doen.”

In deze laatste context begrijpen wij echter niet waarom tot op heden niemand van conflictolie, conflictgoud of conflicturanium gesproken heeft, allemaal grondstoffen waarvan de opbrengsten de oorlogvoerenden in staat stellen wapens te kopen en die de plaatselijke bevolking geen deelname aan de opbrengst bieden. Maar Paz was verstandig genoeg om te begrijpen dat “het geen zin heeft ons te beklagen. Wij handelen in luxeproducten en in de ogen van sommigen betekent dit dat onze

bedoelingen altijd verdacht zullen zijn.” Dit betekent niet dat Avi Paz zich met die idee verzoent maar hij is er nochtans wel van overtuigd dat “wat er ook moge gebeuren wij volgens ethische normen moeten leven die hoger liggen dan die welke in de meeste andere zakensectoren van toepassing zijn.”

En indien er op het Werelddiamantcongres een boodschap gehoord kon worden, was dat ongetwijfeld de absolute wil van alle WFDB- en IDMA-leden om volgens de hoogste ethische normen te leven en te werken, iets wat wij in Antwerpen telkens weer onderstrepen - vooral wanneer wij politici en regeringsverantwoordelijken ontmoeten.

Vooraleer de IDMA-bijeenkomst afgesloten werd, kozen de IDMA-leden een nieuwe raad van bestuur.

IDMA-voorzitter Moti Ganz, secretaris-generaal Ronnie Vanderlinden en penningmeester Stephane Fischler werden in hun functies herkozen. Eduard Denckens, Ronald Friedman, Vasant Mehta en Maxim Shkadov werden als ondervoorzitters gekozen. Ben Kinzler, algemeen adviseur van de Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA) werd tot juridisch raadgever van de organisatie (IDMA) aangeduid.

Eduard Denckens Voorzitter SBD

éditorial Le 34ème Congrès mondial du Diamant s’est déroulé pendant la première moitié du mois de juillet au Ritz Carlton Hotel de Moscou, avec en toile de fond plusieurs événements importants comme le départ de Gareth Penny en tant que CEO de De Beers, et le feu vert donné au Zimbabwe pour reprendre les exportations de diamants des champs de Marange.

Etant donné l’importance du brut du Zimbabwe pour le marché diamantaire mondial, l’IDMA a consacré une grande partie de ses sessions de travail à ce sujet très important. Le président de l’IDMA, Moti Ganz, a informé les membres de l’IDMA du fait qu’avec le consultant commercial Chaim EvenZohar, il a dirigé une inspection sur site du champ diamantifère de Marange au Zimbabwe, et qu’il a rencontré des responsables politiques-clé à Harare.

Chaim Even-Zohar a profité de l’occasion pour présenter une étude approfondie de la production diamantaire de Marange.

Etant donné la crise actuelle au Zimbabwe, Moti Ganz a incité les participants au schéma de certification du processus de Kimberley d’accepter les conclusions du rapport d’Abbey Chicane, l’observateur du processus de Kimberley pour le Zimbabwe, et de faire en sorte que les diamants bruts du Zimbabwe soient rapidement inclus dans le canal légitime des diamants. Le président de l’IDMA a conclu son discours en disant qu’en ratant l’opportunité de faire en sorte que les diamants de Marange soient commercialisés de manière légitime, l’industrie se préparait à une situation intenable dans le marché du brut. «Nous devons faire cela pour améliorer la vie du peuple du Zimbabwe. Nous devons le faire immédiatement, parce que la libération en une seule fois des grandes quantités de diamants bruts qui s’accumulent dans le canal de diamants provoquera une catastrophe dans le marché», a déclaré Moti Ganz.

Le gouvernement du Zimbabwe affirme en effet qu’il a un stock de diamants bruts évalué à entre un et deux milliards de dollars, et a aussi indiqué qu’il a 4,4 millions de carats prêts à être vendus.

Entre-temps, le président du Zimbabwe Mugabe a déclaré au Parlement que la vente du brut donnerait un coup de fouet

salutaire à l’économie. Mugabe vise une croissance économique annuelle de 5,4% cette année.

Pendant l’assemblée annuelle du World Diamond Council (WDC), le Processus de Kimberley a été en mesure d’arriver à un accord concernant la reprise des exportations de diamants bruts du Zimbabwe venant de la production actuelle de Mbada et de Canadile.

Moti Ganz a immédiatement ajouté dans la foulée qu’il devait être très clair que le négoce de diamants bruts non-certifiés KP reste et doit rester strictement interdit. «Pendant nos délibérations au cours des derniers jours ici à Moscou, les membres de l’IDMA ont réitéré leur soutien univoque aux politiques et actions entreprises par le Congrès mondial du Diamant et a exprimé dans les termes les plus fermes qui soient son soutien inconditionnel aux droits de l’homme et à un développement durable et à long terme pour tous les peuples concernés par la chaîne du diamant, et au désir qu’ils tirent profit de leur travail.»

Pendant la session commune de l’IDMA/WFDB, Stephane Fischler a annoncé à l’assemblée que les règles de l’IDC ont été traduites en chinois et en russe.

La conférence de l’IDMA/WFDB a été d’autant plus importante que nous ne pouvons qu’être d’accord avec Avi Paz, de la World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), qui a mis l’accent sur le fait que l’industrie diamantaire continue à faire face aux effets de la crise économique mondiale. Et le même orateur d’ajouter que «on peut dire sans hésiter que nous sommes toujours au milieu de la période la plus difficile de l’histoire de notre commerce, période durant laquelle chacun de nos membres a été touché par ses implications d’une manière ou d’une autre.»

Pour la WFDB, il est dès lors tout indiqué d’organiser une conférence internationale avec comme objectif d’assurer la viabilité et la stabilité des approvisionnements en brut et la continuation de la taille et de la mise sur le marché des diamants taillés.

Le premier thème de travail a été l’acceptation de la South Korean Diamond Exchange en tant que 29ème membre de la WFDB, ce qui a permis à son président, Jae Kim, de déclarer

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qu’il sera en mesure d’assister en tant que membre de la WFDB à part entière à la prochaine réunion des bourses diamantaires asiatiques. La plupart du temps des autres sessions de travail a été consacrée à des discussions concernant le blocage à ce moment-là concernant les négociations sur l’application du schéma de certification du processus de Kimberley au Zimbabwe.

Avi Paz a eu certainement raison d’insister sur le fait qu’ «il n’y a pas de coïncidence quant au fait que le processus de Kimberley est né en Afrique du Sud. Il y a dix ans, le peuple de ce pays, comme ses voisins du Botswana et de Namibie, a compris de la solution au problème des diamants de conflit ne constituait pas à menacer le fondement d’une activité dont dépendent des millions de leurs concitoyens. La solution devait plutôt être cherchée dans la recherche d’une cause commune entre le gouvernement, l’industrie diamantaire et joaillère et les représentants des organisations non-gouvernementales.» Ce dernier point n’a toutefois pas empêché Avi Paz d’ajouter que «sans considérer que nous réécrivons les livres d’histoire en ayant contribué à mettre sur pied le Processus de Kimberley, l’instabilité politique, voire la guerre civile, continue d’exister, non seulement en Afrique mais aussi en Amérique latine et ailleurs. Et lorsqu’il y a des gisements de diamants dans la région, les gens se demandent si nous sommes dans le droit chemin.»

A ce propos, nous ne parvenons pas à comprendre comment il se fait que jusqu’à présent, personne ne parle de pétrole de guerre, d’or de guerre ou d’uranium de guerre, toutes matières naturelles dont la vente contribue à permettre à des belligérants

d’acheter des armes et de ne pas offrir à la population locale une quelconque participation dans ces ressources naturelles.

Mais Avi Paz a été suffisamment intelligent pour comprendre qu’ «il est inutile de se plaindre. Nous commercialisons un produit de luxe et aux yeux de certains, cela signifiera que nos motifs seront toujours suspects.» Cela ne veut pas dire qu’Avi Paz soit d’accord avec cette idée, car il est convaincu qu’ «advienne ce qui pourra, nous devrons avoir des normes éthiques supérieures à celles qui sont appliquées dans la plupart des autres secteurs économiques.»

Et s’il devait y avoir un message qui a été entendu au cours de ce Congrès diamantaire mondial, ce fut certainement l’intention très ferme de tous les membres de la WFDB et de l’IDMA de vivre et de travailler selon les normes éthiques les plus élevées, ce que nous soulignons à Anvers à chaque occasion, spécialement lorsque nous rencontrons des responsables politiques et gouvernementaux.

Avant de clôturer les réunions de l’IDMA, les membres de l’IDMA ont élu leur nouveau conseil. Le président de l’IDMA Moti Ganz, le secrétaire-général Ronnie Vanderlinden et le trésorier Stephane Fischler ont tous été réélus. Eduard Denckens, Ronald Friedman, Vasant Mehta et Maxim Shkadov ont tous été réélus comme vice-présidents. Ben Kinzler, conseiller général de la Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA) a été désigné comme conseiller légal de l’organisation (IDMA).

Eduard Denckens Président du SBD

editorial Against the background of several important events such as Gareth Penny’s departure as CEO of De Beers and Zimbabwe having been given the green light to resume rough diamonds exports from the Marange fields, the 34th World Diamond Congress has been held during the first half of July at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moscow.

Because of the importance of the Zimbabwe rough for the world diamond market, IDMA devoted a large part of its work sessions to this vital topic. IDMA president Moti Ganz informed the IDMA members that together with trade consultant Chaim Even-Zohar, he had conducted an on-site inspection of the Marange diamond field in Zimbabwe and had met with key political players in Harare.

Even-Zohar took the opportunity to present an in-depth review of the Marange diamond production. With regard to the current crisis in Zimbabwe, Ganz urged the participants in the Kimberley Process Certification Schedule to accept the findings of the report of Abbey Chicane, the Kimberley Processs Monitor for Zimbabwe and to move quickly to include Zimbabwe’s rough diamonds in the legitimate diamond pipeline. The IDMA president concluded his address, saying that by failing to allow Marange diamonds to be traded legitimately, the industry was setting the scene for an untenable situation in the rough market.”We need to do this to better the lives of the people of Zimbabwe. We need to do so immediately because the release of the vast quantities of rough diamonds

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that are accumulating into the diamond pipeline all at once will cause a catastrophe in the market”, Ganz said.

The Zimbabwean government claims indeed that it has stockpiled somewhere between $1 bn and $2 bn in rough diamonds and also indicated that it has 4.4 million carats ready to sell.

In the meantime Zimbabwean president Mugabe told Parliament that the sale of rough would give the economy a much needed boost. Mugabe is targeting annual economic growth of 5.4% this year.

During the annual meeting of the World Diamond Council (WDC) the Kimberley Process was able to reach an agreement about the resumption of Zimbabwe’s rough diamond exports from the current production of Mbada and Canadile.

To which Ganz added that it must be clear that trade in non-KP certified rough diamonds remains and must remain strictly prohibited. “During our deliberations in the past days here in Moscow, the IDMA membership reiterated its unequivocal support of the policies and actions undertaken by the World Diamond Council and expressed in the strongest possible terms its genuine support for human rights and sustainable, long-term development for all people involved in the diamond supply chain, and the desire that they benefit from their labours”.

During the joint session of IDMA/WFDB Stephane Fischler announced the audience that the IDC rules have been translated in Chinese and Russian.

The IDMA/WFDB meeting was all the more important as we can only but agree with Avi Paz, of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) , who noted that the diamond industry continues to cope with after effects of the global economic crisis. And the same speaker to add that “one can say with no hesitation that we are still in the midst of the most difficult time in the history of our trade, a time during which each and every one of our members has been affected by its implications in one way or another”. For the WFDB reason enough to organize an international meeting with the aim to sustain the viability and stability of rough supplies and the continuation of manufacturing and marketing of polished diamonds.

The first order of business was the acceptance of the South Korean Diamond Exchange as the 29th member of the WFDB, allowing its president Jae Kim to announce that at the upcoming Asian bourses summit, he will be able to attend as a full WFDB member.

Most of the time of the other working sessions was dedicated to discussions about the deadlock at the time in the negotiations concerning the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Schedule in Zimbabwe.

Avi Paz was certainly right when he emphasized that “it was no coincidence that the Kimberley Process was born in South Africa. Ten years ago the people of that country, as did their neighbours in Botswana and Namibia, understood that the solution to the conflict diamond problem was not in threatening the foundation of a business upon which millions

Ter gelegenheid van

ROSH HASHANAH

of their countrymen depend. The solution would rather be obtained by finding common cause between the government, the diamond and jewellery industry and representatives of the NGO community”. The later did however not withhold AviPaz from adding that “without considering that we rewrote the history books in helping set up the Kimberley Process, political unrest, although not necessarily civil war, continues to exist, not only in Africa but also in Latin America and elsewhere.

And when there are diamond deposits involved, people question whether we are doing the right thing”.

In the latter context, we do however not understand why up until now nobody has been speaking about conflict fuel , conflict gold or conflict uranium, all natural sources, the proceeds of which contribute to allow the belligerents to buy weapons and not offering the local population any participation in those natural resources. But Paz was clever enough to understand “that it is useless complaining. We deal in a luxury product and in the eyes of some that means that our motives will always be suspect “. This does not mean that Avi Paz does reconcile with that idea, being however convinced of the fact that “come what may, we have to live by ethical standards that are higher than those which are applied in most other business sectors”.

And if a message was to be heard at this World Diamond Congress, it was certainly the absolute intention of all member of the WFDB and the IDMA to live and work according to the highest ethical standards, something we in Antwerp are underlining time and again and especially when meeting politicians and governmental responsible people.

Before the close of the IDMA meetings, the IDMA members voted in their new board. IDMA president Moti Ganz, secretary-general Ronnie Vanderlinden and treasurer Stephane Fischler were all re-elected to their positions. Eduard Denckens, Ronald Friedman, Vasant Mehta and Maxim Shkadov were all elected to serve as vice presidents. Ben Kinzler, general counsel of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA) was appointed as the organization’s (IDMA) legal counsel.

Eduard Denckens President SBD

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Reputation and the trusted source Helmut Schmidt, who served as West-Germany’s Chancellor until 1982, is reported to have said that he got more out of reading, the Neue Zuericher Zeitung, than out of all the intelligence briefings.

Now roughly 30 years later, I sincerely think Helmut Schmidt would have been at a loss to manage the sheer volume of “intelligence” provided freely through the Internet. He would have a serious challenge to discern the true from the imagined, not to say the outright propaganda and lunatic output.

He would have done well to stick to the trusted “Neue Zuericher Zeitung” source that had served him so well. The IDC, was founded in 1975, with the express aim of providing this "trusted source” to the industry.

More than 30 years later, the International Diamond Council-IDC has become the main and most trustworthy source of diamond nomenclature available. Based on the pioneer work of the Gemological Institute of America it has evolved into the most comprehensive, freely accessible and transparent diamond grading document ever.

The access to information through technology has shifted IDC’s primary focus from the trade towards the consumer.

It is essential today, as it was for Chancellor Schmidt, to be able to rely on a “trusted source”.

I am firmly convinced that these rules written by experts from both the World Federation of Diamond Bourses-WFDB and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association-IDMA, both of which the GJEPC is an esteemed member of, are fulfilling this mission.

To this end, the IDC-rules have already been translated into Chinese and Russian and are freely available on the IDC website. Further translations are planned as into Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, French and German.

The future of the Diamond Jewellery retail industry is, and will increasingly be, in my modest opinion, challenged by an almost total “product transparency”. Whether it will be through all the commodities used in the making of the jewel needing to be openly disclosed in terms of quality, 6

quantity and more than ever, in terms of origin or reputation of the retailer himself, no one will be able to hide behind the “uninformed consumer” anymore.

India and China are prime examples of upcoming diamond markets which have built a phenomenal information technologyinfrastructure permeating some of the remote corners of their immense territories.

Information is there for anyone to grab and process.

And here lies the challenge and our industry’s opportunity.

If we continue to be successful in providing a freely accessible “ABC” of diamonds we will contribute to making the “diamond experience” for the consumer attractive and “confusion” free.

A lifetime experience combined with such strong emotional content is what purchasing diamond jewellery is all about. Any issue that could spoil this meaningful experience would lead to a loss of confidence by the consumer and with it, our reputation. Proper and full disclosure at the wholesale and at the retail end is a must.

Technology to produce synthetic diamonds as well as color or purity treatments have seen a dramatic evolution that is testing us all. We must, when necessary pull our resources together to be at the top of the detection challenge. Admirable work is being conducted by the GIA and HRD research centers and we must applaud them for their constant innovation and research efforts.

These laboratory grown and treated diamonds are of course legitimate products but their origin must be fully disclosed. The diamond bourses and their

disciplinary boards must show strong determination in prosecuting abusers. They are the gatekeepers of our industry's reputation and must continue to act as such.

The worldwide diamond grading communities, of which many have freely adopted the IDCrules, bear a very important responsibility in providing the highest possible quality control for their grading services.

But providing grading nomenclature is only a small but critical part of the journey from mine to finger.

Creativity and innovation are part of the essential ingredients for the future of our industry.

All the steps the diamond and precious metals will go through, will finally be blended into the strongest message of commitment or personal self fulfillment. This must happen in an environment where all best practices with respect to human dignity and the environment are upheld.

The diamond jewellery industry is, and must always remain, a people’s business. Only by the human hand will the human body be adorned forever.

(Interview Stephane Fischler in The Art of Jewellery August 2010)

Stephane Fischler is the current chairman of the International Diamond Council.

He is a third-generation diamantaire working as a partner at Fischler Diamonds. Over the years Fischler has held many executive positions in various industry bodies.

He is a founding member of the World Diamond Council. He is also President of the European Council of Diamond Manufacturers, is a member of the board of AWDC and the vice-president of SBD. This apart, Fischler also serves as a board member of the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI).

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IDMA/WFDB CONGRES MOSKOW The 34th World Diamond Congress has been held in Moscow, Russia, from July 11-13.

This event is the biennial joint congress of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and its sister organization, the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).

The plenary and working sessions focus on plans to advance the diamond business in what is now called the 'new normal' economy.

The event is coordinated by the Diamond Chamber of Russia (DCR), the Moscow Diamond Bourse (MDB) and the Association of Diamond Manufacturers of Russia. It is the first time a World Diamond Congress has been held in Russia.

Opening 34th World Diamond Congress Speech Moti Ganz, president IDMA

Honorable presidents of the manufacturers associations and bourses, distinguished representatives and guests, This year we convene at a crucial moment, facing critical decisions that will affect the future of the world diamond industry, including our organizations and the millions of people who depend upon us for their livelihood.

Before getting into the details, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the hosts of this congress. As a representative of the diamond industry that hosted the 2006 World Diamond Congress, I know what a tremendous job it is and how much time, thought and financial resources need to be invested - I salute the Russian diamond industry for undertaking this complex task. Although we are only at the beginning of our first day of discussions, based on what we have seen so far, I am sure we will all sit down to write warm letters of appreciation at the end of the congress.

The world diamond industry is broad and diverse, with such a myriad of different aspects, but when I raise my eyes and look around what I see is a family - one big family of dear people who may compete with one another but are also tied to one another, who may try to guard business secrets, but also do a great deal in the way of sharing and cooperating. It is this diamond family - producers, manufacturers and traders – that I would like to address today.

In the aftermath of the crisis we are facing a new reality and new challenges. We cannot be complacent and just return to “business as usual” as if nothing has happened. For the sake of the future of this family, I want us to change the ways in which we conduct our business, to explore new paths, appropriate for this new era. I hope we will succeed in rallying to this cause, and swiftly, because otherwise we may miss the opportunity.

We are truly at a crossroads - and we can make the post-crisis situation a defining moment in our diamond history.

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Let's step back for a moment and recall our last meeting, which was held in Antwerp in November 2009. It was our first gathering since the onset of the unexpected crisis, which began as a global credit crunch and quickly deteriorated into a deep recession. The only diamond center that reacted in a timely, organized manner was the Indian center, which announced a temporary cessation in its purchase of rough and took this “time out” to discuss the way forward with its bankers and government.

I saluted them at the time and I do so now again, out of great respect. At that meeting I suggested a few ideas for advancing our industry. For example, I proposed that we formulate best credit practice rules, in an attempt to make our members see that 60- or 90-day credit terms was a totally unreasonable practice. I suggested that we end the memo system, or at least reduce our industry's exposure to memos, and that we stop being passive towards the producers seeking short-term wealth by means of tenders.

During the crisis, the price of rough went mad and we all rushed for the very tenders that threatened to suffocate us.

It's no use crying over spilled milk, but we must turn down the flame to make sure it doesn't boil over again. We have to do this now, immediately. It is possible. In order to succeed we have to change our mindset. I believe that our behavior is absolutely illogical. When the banks reduced our credit facilities and demanded additional collateral, we were able to manage mainly by bringing back “money from home.” Yes - and this is a great compliment to our industry - we increased our equity base. But did we bring in money from home to continue to finance the retailers? Instead of analyzing what happened during the economic crisis and changing our ways accordingly, we are resuming our former business practices as though nothing has happened or changed. We are missing a prime opportunity to move from a buyer's to a seller's market. We can still do this.

The current demand for rough diamonds exceeds the supply, and there is a growing shortage of certain articles that are in high demand. Yet despite the shortage of rough, the polished retailers are still setting the terms of- trade; they are dictating the prices, the periods of credit, the volumes they want on consignment, and so forth. They continue to do so even though we all know that the situation in the jewelry stores in our largest market - the United States - continues to deteriorate.

Jewelry stores are closing and new ones are not opening up in their place. Jewelry stores that have long-term rental agreements with malls continue operating because they have no choice. Oh yes, they can get out of their stores by filing a restructuring plan under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In that process, the retailer remains only with profitable units and is allowed to close the bad locations. Too often, we, as unsecured polished suppliers, end up paying the price for such restructuring. Haven’t we learned anything?

U.S. retailers aren't talking about expanding and opening up more branches - they talk about striving for profitability. The United Sates, which until two years ago consumed close to half of the world's diamonds, is now reducing its market share, though it is still leading.

The demand in the United States is on the decline in terms of quality, as well. The current focus is on lower quality and lower prices, at a time when many of us want to get the market back to consuming high-quality goods. Think about what has happened: in the last twenty years, the price of diamonds, from thirds to one-carats, has remained the same. The price of gold has risen, the price of platinum has gone up but you can still buy three pieces of diamond jewelry for the price of one Louis Vuitton bag. Do you remember what Lewis Carroll said in Alice in Wonderland? Anyone who doesn't move forward, goes backwards. And that is precisely what is happening to us. A product that has treaded water for 20 years can be said to be running backwards. The price of diamonds today should be at least 200 percent more than their price in the 1990s. Just look where gold and platinum are and look where we are.

The time has come to put an end to this. We need to realize that the downstream pipeline, from jewelry manufacturers, through distributors to retailers, has depleted its stock and is now in a replenishment mode. That is very important to realize: the current hot demand for polished is for stock replenishment the consumers haven’t returned yet to the stores. That’s why we have to be cautious in our dealings with the retail sector.

The time when we needed the retailers more than they needed us - whether for current income, to respond to the criteria of the Supplier of Choice verticalization aspirations or cooperative marketing programs, or to adorn our profile presentations for sightholder candidacy with impressive names - is over. Now we need to dictate the terms of trade and insist that we ourselves, the manufacturers who take the greatest financial and commercial risks, get a decent return on our capital and risks.

We are not driven by greed; we are driven by a need to get our business on a healthy, responsible and sustainable financial footing.

Today there are no inventories with the producers; they are selling current production immediately. There is no stock in the

jewelry stores, and they are replenishing. This is our chance, and it may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let me say it again: we must take control of our destiny and shift from a buyer's to a seller's market, by setting our terms of sale and requiring the retailers, huge chains and Mom and Pop stores alike - to accept our terms. If they want our increasingly scarce product, they will have to pay a realistic and fair price.

In this context of getting the world diamond industry on track, I must address another burning issue - the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe.

I imagine that you have all managed to get up-to-date, and I hope that you did so in the right places, that provide the true information. It is very easy and comfortable to empathize with the claims of the NGOs. Poverty and suffering touch the hearts of any good person. But poverty and suffering are also very convenient instruments for manipulating and diverting people away from logical thinking.

Let's look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. The claim is that there was, or is illegal mining there, that the local population is being abused, and that atrocities are being perpetrated while the government gains wealth. Now two serious companies have come and established serious mines that meet all the stringent international standards regarding alluvial mining. They created jobs for local residents, provided them with good working conditions and paid - and are still paying - reasonable wages.

The Kimberley Process appointed a special monitor, a reliable individual, whom we all respect - Abbey Chikane. After examining the situation he wrote a report, recommending that rough export be permitted from these serious companies in Zimbabwe that he considers to meet the KPCS minimum requirements. There is nobody more fitting than Abbey Chikane to say whether these companies meet the requirements or not, as he was the first chairman of the Kimberley Process and one of the architects of the Process.

To our great regret, out of the 75 member governments of the Kimberley Process, three opposed legitimizing diamond export from Zimbabwe. Since the decisionmaking method in the Kimberley Process is based on consensus, which gives any single country a right of veto, we reached an impasse.

Stephane Fischler, Jeffrey Fischer, Moti Ganz en Ronnie Van Der Linden.

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Now I would like to ask each and everyone of us to consider whether opposing the legitimization of Zimbabwe diamond export benefits the citizens of that country or hurts them. After that, we can also ask ourselves whether we helped or hurt the diamond and jewelry industries all over the world and all the people that make a respectable, honest living in it? I say "we" because even though we did not create the opposition, perhaps we can expedite the alleviation of the problem it caused.

Let's look more deeply at the issue: Do the governments of the United States, Canada and Australia want to provide an opportunity for thousands of miners in Zimbabwe to make a legitimate living or do they want the illegal mining to continue?

Do they want thousands of people in Zimbabwe and tens of thousands who depend upon them to work under normal conditions, or do they want the continuation of illegal mining, where the terms of employment are not organized and abuse is commonplace? Do they want legal activity or do they want to encourage those who are corrupt, who are inevitable found in a place where diamonds need to be smuggled under the noses of the legitimate government and international organizations?

What do we want - Abbey Chikane or Al Qaeda? It seems that the answer is unclear.

De Belgische delegatieleden Edward Denckens, Paul Van der Steen en Jos Heiremans.

We must move quickly to include Zimbabwe's rough diamonds in the legitimate diamond pipeline, because they are legitimate.

Abbey Chikane says so, and he knows what he's talking about.

I ask all of you to read his report carefully. We also need to do this to better the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.

We need to do so immediately because the release of the vast quantities of rough diamonds that are accumulating into the diamond pipeline all at once will cause a catastrophe here.

We will suffer. 20 million people who are directly and indirectly dependent upon the diamond and diamond jewelry industry for their livelihood will be hurt. The diamond industry is too easy a target. It is easy to attack us, to muddy our name. We must not let this happen. We must put every effort into reaching the decision makers in the US State Department and the two other governments that oppose the resumption of immediate exports. We need to write to them, email them, organize a delegation, go there and convince them.

This is our task for the upcoming days. In fact, this is our task for the upcoming hours.

I hope that we will devote our discussions to the serious issues of the moment, and I wish us all that we will leave here having made significant - and most important, correct - decisions.

Thank you.

De IsraĂŤlische delegatieleden Udi Sheintal en Schmuel Mordechai.

About IDMA: The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) was founded and convened for the first time in 1946 in Antwerp. It is committed to fostering and promoting the highest ideals of integrity and best practices throughout the diamond industry worldwide, as well as full compliance with all relevant national and international laws. Towards this end, the organization has developed and adopted a Code of Conduct which is binding on all members. IDMA also works to encourage fair and honorable practices and decent working conditions for those employed in the diamond industry; and to preserve, protect and promote the trust and confidence of consumers with respect to diamonds and diamond products. It encourages and supports social responsibility by the diamond industry worldwide. IDMA seeks to take a unified leadership role on all issues affecting the industry and convenes bi-annually, at the same time as the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB).

The Congress includes a session of the general assemblies of both organizations, where joint resolutions are passed on current issues of concern. IDMA played an active role in establishing the Kimberly Process and is a co-founder of the World Diamond Council. IDMA has 16 national member associations representing virtually all diamond manufacturers worldwide.

Visit the IDMA website at: www.idma.net.

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IDMA calls for immediate implementation of KP Monitor's recommendations and receives an invitation to hold IDMA's 2011 Presidents' Meeting in Botswana At its meetings, the IDMA members drafted and accepted the following resolutions:

IDMA resolution 1: The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) views the continued cooperation among the three pillars of the Kimberley Process Certification Schedule (KPCS) - governments, industry and civil society - essential to the future of the diamond industry and reaffirms its commitment to the highest ethical principles throughout our industry.

The best interests of the diamond industry and the international community are well served by the KPCS. Yet, IDMA recognizes some operational shortcomings.

IDMA supports reform of the KPCS voting mechanism that will enable the KPCS to be more effective.

Further, we encourage the KPCS to develop an administrative support system to facilitate a smooth transition from one chairman to the next.

IDMA resolution 2: The IDMA is deeply concerned about the KPCS impasse on Zimbabwe and expresses its strong support for the Joint Work Plan agreed between KPCS and the Government of Zimbabwe, and the constructive activities of the KPCS appointed monitor.

IDMA calls for the immediate implementation of the KP Monitor's recommendation to the Working Group Monitoring (WGM) to certify the exports of those mining companies which meet the KPCS's members standards.

IDMA president Moti Ganz informed the IDMA members, that together with trade consultant Chaim Even-Zohar, he had conducted an on-site inspection of the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe and had met with key political players in Harare, the Zimbabwean capital. In Moscow, EvenZohar presented an in-depth review of the Marange diamond production.

Ganz said that it must be clear that trade in non-KP

certified rough diamonds remains and must remain strictly prohibited.

“During our deliberations in the past days here in Moscow, the IDMA membership reiterated its unequivocal support of the policies and actions undertaken by the World Diamond Council (WDC) and expressed in the strongest possible terms our genuine support for human rights and sustainable, long-term development for all people involved in the diamond supply chain, and the desire that they benefit from their labors,” Ganz noted.

One of the other subjects discussed was the International Diamond Board (IDB), in particular the obstacles the diamond producers and manufacturers are facing in getting this crucial initiative off the ground.

“It seems that all parties that been asked to support this important venture understand the value of the creation of an entity that will advance generic diamond promotion and advertising projects in the global diamond jewelry consumer markets,” Ganz said. “IDMA sincerely hopes that the parties involved will make significant progress soon.”

With regard to the planned Presidents' Meeting of 2011, Ganz announced that IDMA had been invited by the Botswana government, the country's diamond producers and the local diamond industry to holds its meeting there. “We are very excited to have been invited to this prime diamond production center,” Ganz said.

Before the close of the IDMA meetings, the IDMA members voted in their new board. IDMA President Moti Ganz, Secretary-General Ronnie VanderLinden and Treasurer Stephane Fischler were all reelected to their positions. Eduard Denckens, Ronald Friedman, Vasant Mehta and Maxim Shkadov were all elected to serve as vice presidents.

Ben Kinzler, general counsel of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America (DMIA), was appointed as the organization's (IDMA) Legal Counsel.

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International Diamond Council releases IDC rules in Russian at 34th World Diamond Congress in Moscow The International Diamond Council (IDC) released the Russian translation of the "IDC Rules for Grading Diamonds" today in Moscow, on occasion of the 34th World Diamond Congress, the biennial congress of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).

During a short ceremony, IDC chairman Stephane Fischler presented a bound copy of the Russian language version of the IDC Rules to Sergey Oulin, chairman of the Diamond Chamber of Russia, and host of the congress.

In his address, Fischler noted that the distribution of the IDC Rules in other languages, in addition to the authoritative English version, would make a significant contribution toward the proliferation of a single, authoritative, international set of diamond nomenclature in markets that until recently had had little or no access to the information and therefore could not be shared with consumers.

"This indeed is the core mission of the IDC: a globally accepted, clear and transparent grading

nomenclature, to secure and enhance consumer confidence in polished diamonds," Fischler stated.

Fischler said: the Chinese translation was published in June as the first of a series of translations that IDC aims to make available. "Last month, the IDC rules were published in Chinese. The release of the rules in Russian are yet another step in making them accessible to a wider audience," he said. "We are now looking at translating the rules in other languages such as Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Italian and French," he noted.

Fischler called upon the delegates of the WFDB and IDMA to support the creation of additional translation projects. "You are in an ideal position to assist in creating translations and your members will the first to enjoy the immediate benefit of having the rules available in their own languages," he noted.

The IDC Rules and the translations in Russian and Chinese are now available for downloading from the IDC website: www.internationaldiamondcouncil.org communications@internationaldiamondcouncil.org

The International Diamond Council (IDC) is a joint committee established in 1975 by the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) to create an international standard for rules, working methods and nomenclature.

Chaim Even-Zohar, Stephane Fischler (Treasurer IDMA), Jeffrey Fischer (Honary President), Moti Ganz (President IDMA).

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WFDB - World Diamond Congress opens in Moscow, with South Korean bourse accepted as 29th WFDB member During its first working session, the General Assembly of the WFDB elected its officers for the coming two years, and accepted the South Korean Diamond Exchange as the organisation's 29th member.

The congress' ceremonial opening session brought together the general assemblies of both the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association. Guests of honour were Alexei Kudrin, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and Fyodor Andreev, President of Alrosa.

In his opening address, WFDB President Avi Paz noted that the diamond industry continues to cope with after effects of the global economic crisis. "One can say with no hesitation that we are still in the midst of the most difficult time in the history of our trade," he said. "Each and every one of our members has been affected by its implications in one way or another. And in view of the situation, our purpose was - and still is - to sustain the viability and stability of rough supplies, and the continuation of manufacturing and marketing of polished diamonds."

"We all hope that the worst is already behind us and fortunately, without going into specifics, I dare say that on the overall, up till now, we have weathered the many challenges rather well," the WFDB President continued. "Since the outbreak of the downturn we - the WFDB - have played a central and important role in assuring that all players in the diamond supply pipeline behave in a responsible manner.

Fortunately, in the past few Months we are witnessing signs of recovery and return to gradual growth. But - and there is always a big but - we must continue looking beyond the daily

trends and lead the entire industry toward the future with vision and courage. This is our responsibility as the industry's leading organisation that represents the interest of more than 12,000 diamantaires throughout the world. And that is exactly what we are going to do here in the upcoming days."

During the WFDB's first working session, Mr. Paz was unanimously elected present for a second consecutive terms.

Ernest Blom was re-elected WFDB Vice President, Michael Vaughan was re-elected WFDB Secretary-General, and Dieter Hahn was re-elected WFDB Treasurer-General. Other office holders elected include Rony Unterman as Deputy SecretaryGeneral and Freddy Hager as Treasurer-General.

The WFDB General Assembly also elected six representatives for two-year term to its Board of Directors. They include Julien Drybooms, Freddy Hager, Nikhil Jhaveri, Anoop Mehta, Moshe Mosbacher and Sergey Oulin.

The first order of business following the elections was the acceptance of the South Korean Diamond Exchange as the 29th member of the WFDB. Presenting the application of the first diamond exchange on the Korean Peninsula was SKDE President Jae Kim. WFDB President informed Mr. Kim of his bourse's acceptance saying that at the upcoming Asian bourses summit, he will be able to attend as a full WFDB member.

With the 34th WDC in progress, the WFDB delegates were dedicating a large portion of their time to discussions about the current deadlock in the negotiations concerning the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Schedule in Zimbabwe.

WFDB concludes and urges responsible trading practices The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has concluded its meetings at the 34th World Diamond Congress in Moscow, calling on the industry to internalise the lessons learned during the global financial crisis of the past 18 months, during which time diamond dealers reduced significantly the volume of goods being sold on consignment and also cut the standard periods for which terms of credit are extended.

"Without a doubt, the past 18 months represented the most difficult economic period that any of us currently working in the diamond sector remember, but at the same time we can be proud that our industry came through in relatively good

shape," said WFDB President Avi Paz. "The WFDB calls upon its members to continue implementing policies such as a greatly reduced dependence upon memo sales and a reluctance to extend lengthy terms of credit. US President Obama said that one should never waste a global recession, and the same is true for us."

The WFDB General Assembly discussed at length the conclusions that should be drawn from the global economic recession, and in addition to the issues of memo and credit terms called for increased cooperation with banks financing the diamond industry, so that credit will be available to all sectors of the industry as the diamond market enters a new

13

growth phase. "It is of paramount importance that small and medium-sized companies are also provided with the tools to benefit from the recovery. Ultimately, this is important for the entire industry," Mr. Paz stated.

The WFDB General Assembly called on rough diamond producers to allocate sizable volumes of merchandise for sale outside of the tender system, which places smaller and medium manufacturers at a disadvantage. Furthermore, it was stated, since when buying on tender it is impossible to know for certain what goods will be obtained and at what price, it is difficult for members of the diamond sector to implement any long-term strategic planning, including manufacturing and marketing programmes. This is essential for the health of the

industry, and a healthy industry is critical to the sustainability of the producers themselves.

The WFDB resolved to accept for the first time in its history representatives of governments of diamond producing countries as "nation-affiliated members," which would allow them to participate in World Diamond Congresses and Presidents' Meetings, and to receive benefits accruing from their membership.

The WFDB General Assembly confirmed Dubai as the venue for the 2011 Presidents' Meeting, where the host will be the Dubai Diamond Exchange, and Mumbai as the venue for the 35th World Diamond Congress in 2012, where the host will be Bharat Diamond Bourse.

Kris Peeters bezoekt het WTOCD

‘Technologie kan diamant hier houden’ Minister-president Kris Peeters bracht op 8 september samen met gouverneur Cathy Berx en burgemeester Marleen Vanderpoorten een werkbezoek aan het Wetenschappelijk en Technisch Onderzoekscentrum voor Diamant in Lier.

Bij deze rondleiding werden de nieuwste ontwikkelingen van het WTOCD voorgesteld, waaronder het prototype van de revolutionaire ‘koud slijpen’-machine.

In zijn speech onderstreepte de minister-president het belang van het onderzoekscentrum voor de diamantsector. Dit is uniek in de wereld.

Kris Peeters wilt dat de diamantsector investeert in innovatie en nieuwe technologieën; dan pas kan de 14

diamantindustrie zeker nog een toekomst hebben in ons land.

Pas als de sector voluit voor innovatie en vernieuwing gaat, kan ook de Vlaamse overheid met meer geld over de brug komen. De Vlaamse overheid ondersteunt de projecten van het WTOCD via het Vlaams Agentschap voor Innovatie en Technologie (IWT).

Opmerkelijk was de oproep van de ministerpresident tot meer eenheid onder de diamantgeledingen.

In ons volgend nummer zal uitgebreid stilgestaan worden bij dit bezoek.

WDC World Diamond Council concludes 7th Annual Meeting with KP agreement on export of diamonds from Marange The World Diamond Council wrapped up its 7th Annual Meeting in St. Petersburg, on July 15, 2010 with the welcome announcement that the Kimberley Process had reached consensus on an agreement that will enable the renewal of rough diamond exports from the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe.

The current production of Mbada and Canadile which has been stockpiled in Harare from May 28, 2010 will be now approved for sale by the special KP monitor, Abbey Chikane.

According to the agreement by September, Zimbabwe will be able to carry out two supervised exports of rough diamond from the Marange production. During this period, the Kimberley Process will conduct a review mission to Zimbabwe, which will be held in conjunction with the first visit to the country by the Kimberley Process Monitor.

Ontvangst door Sergey OULIN, President of the Diamond Chamber of Russia and Vice President of ALROSA, in de Petrus en Paulus vesting in St. Petersburg.

The Kimberley Process Monitor will pay another visit to Zimbabwe on the week of September 6 to certify the second supervised export. The Kimberley Process Monitoring Committee will review the report issued by the review mission to formulate a position regarding future exports. So Zimbabwe cannot export all its rough diamonds as it wishes.

"If this is a victory for anyone, it is a victory for the Kimberly Process," said KP Chair Boaz Hirsch. "The past several months have been difficult, but they have clearly demonstrated that not only does the Kimberley Process have teeth, it also is able to achieve results."The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has welcomed the agreement, calling it “a convincing victory for the Kimberley Process.” Kimberley Process showed that it is able to achieve results. The Government of Zimbabwe should also be commended for its flexibility and readiness to find common ground with the KP.”

Het informele luik van de WDC meeting: de prachtige tuin van het Catharina paleis in St. Petersburg: dhr en mevr. Hager (President van de The London Diamond Bourse), Dione Kenyon van JBT, Linda Vancauwenberghe van SBD en mevr. Christiane CornelissensGombeer.

15

"Although we can regard this as progress, there remains much to do," said Eli Izhakoff, the president of the World Diamond Council.

"Although the discussions were often intense, a great deal of good will was shown. We need to build on this and to continue the hard work of the past several months."

Throughout the two-day WDC gathering, Kimberley Process negotiators had gathered in intensive meetings, with the goal being to break the log-jam over Zimbabwe diamond exports. WDC President Eli Izhakoff had earlier invited the Kimberley Process to hold a mini-summit in St. Petersburg alongside the World Diamond Council, in another attempt to reach agreement over Marange. As a result, a senior delegation from the government of Zimbabwe, including Minister of Mining Obert Moses Mpofu, and Zimbabwe's Attorney General, Johanne Tomama, traveled to St.

Petersburg for the meeting. So did a high-level delegation from the U.S. State Department led by Susan Page, Assistant U.S. Deputy Secretary of State.

The Plenary Session brought to St. Petersburg representatives of the diamond industry from Belgium, Israel, India, Russia, Namibia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, rough diamond producers, representatives of government from producing, cutting and consumer centers, member of the banking community and the media.

A lot of pressure by the diamond industry forced a minority group to accept the compromise. While the resolution of the situation in Zimbabwe remained high on the agenda, another central issue were the steps needed to reform and refine the Kimberley Process, seven years after its rough diamond certification scheme was first launched.

Addressing the 7th Annual Meeting of the World Diamond Council (WDC) in St. Petersburg, Russia, WDC President Eli Izhakoff stressed that the Kimberley Process coalition of government, business and civil society remains critical for the future of the entire diamond industry and trade.

Colleagues and friends, The events of the past weeks and months have consumed the bulk of our time, as we have struggled in a search for an equitable solution to the sale of diamonds from the Marange region of Zimbabwe. But my intention today was to look at the big picture, which is the role of the World Diamond Council as a factor in the diamond business, 10 years after it was established. I still intend doing just that, but first I must relate to the developments of the past several days.

The release from jail of Farai Maguwu on Monday clearly was a much-needed step in the right direction, and we hope it will help us deal with the merits of the situation, without being sidelined by other issues.

A great many people worked day and night in the effort to bring about Mr. Maguwu's release from prison. Some did so publicly, and others did so quietly behind the scenes. First and foremost, as one of those people I can say that our purpose for doing so was to ensure that human rights proponents are not made to suffer for the courage of their convictions. At the same time, we were very aware that millions of ordinary Zimbabweans are relying on us to succeed, because their futures will depend on revenues generated by the country's diamond deposits. It is essential that a way be found so that diamonds from Marange will legitimately make their way into the pipeline.

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Four days ago, for several hours the attention of billions of people was focused on a football stadium, fittingly named Soccer City, which is located on the edge of Soweto outside of Johannesburg. They came together to watch two teams meet in the FIFA World Cup Final, as they do every four years. But this time it was special, because of where the game was being played.

For the first time ever, one of the world's two largest sporting events was held on the African continent, and the final game took place in a township that just 20 years earlier was symbolic of dire poverty, hopelessness and civil unrest. Soweto is still a very tough neighbourhood. But where it once was a powder keg ready to explode, today it represents one of Africa's most shining beacons toward a better future.

The 2010 World Cup taught us to reject the notion that Africa is a lost case. Indeed, right up until first kickoff, there were those who doubted that the stadiums would be ready, that there would be sufficient hotel rooms and that people would be able to move from city to city. However, over the past six weeks the world learned something that we in the diamond industry already know, and that is, when business, government and civil society join hands, it is possible to achieve almost anything.

Ten years, when civil war was raging in countries like Sierra Leone and Angola, and the diamond trade was being denounced as profiteering and uncaring, the prevailing

opinion, particularly among the NGOs, is that we would not act against the conflict diamond trade unless threatened by a full consumer boycott. We knew that we are people of conscience, but they could not know that from across a picket line.

What changed things was dialogue. By sitting down together and listening, we learned that, while we did not always see eye to eye on strategy and timing, we shared similar goals. We agreed that no diamond ever should be used to bring violence and suffering upon innocent people, and also that rough diamond deposits are natural resources that can be used to improve the opportunities of communities in the areas in which they are located. For the people of Africa a diamond should symbolize hope, not hopelessness.

It was no coincidence that the Kimberley Process was born in South Africa. Ten years ago the people of that country, as did their neighbours in Botswana and Namibia, understood that the solution to the conflict diamond problem was not in threatening the foundations of a business upon which millions of their countrymen depend. The solution would rather be obtained by finding common cause between the government, the diamond and jewelry industry, and representatives of the NGO community.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme that was launched in 2003 was a remarkable achievement. For not only was it conceptualized and formulated by a group with such divergent opinions and backgrounds, but in order for it to work it had to be legislated and then implemented in each and every one of the countries that were signatories to the process. There were no short cuts.

In fact, had we realized what exactly was involved when we began the journey in the year 2000, I am not certain that any one of us would have had the gall even to get started. But we did, and today our industry and Africa are all the better for it.

The role that was played by the World Diamond Council was absolutely critical. For not only were we able to demonstrate that, as an industry, we were committed to doing the right thing, but through negotiation we were able to create a system that works on the ground. If the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme had not been integrated properly into our system of doing business, it would be rendered ineffective. By cooperating and voluntarily agreeing to be regulated, we reconstructed our pipeline so that only diamonds carrying KP certificates would pass through it.

The results spoke for themselves. The incidence of conflict diamonds in the pipeline fell from a high of 4 percent to less than 2 tenths of 1 percent. Civil wars ended in the countries where they once raged, and the diamond industries came to be considered not as generators of violence, but as sources of economic growth.

However, as we all know now, the story does not end there.

Political unrest, although not necessarily civil war, continues to exist, not only in Africa, but also in Latin America and elsewhere. And when there are diamond deposits involved, people question whether we are doing the right thing. With little regard for our track record over the past decade, and without considering that we rewrote the history books in helping set up the Kimberley Process, people suggest that our primary motive remains getting the rough diamonds, irrespective of from where and in what way they were sourced.

But it is useless complaining. We deal in a luxury product, and

in the eyes of some that means that our motives will always be suspect. Come what may, we have to live by ethical standards that are higher than those which are applied in most other business sectors.

What this means is that we have to develop models that will enable us to address the issues raised in countries like Zimbabwe, even though they do not fully comply with the criteria for conflict diamonds that were formulated 10 years ago. And in doing so we will have to find the correct balance for fulfilling three critical needs: (1) the need of the citizens in the affected country to benefit from the revenues generated by their diamond deposits; (2) the need of jewelry consumers to feel that the products they buy are not tainted by human suffering; and (3) the need of the diamond industry to go about its business in an economic fashion. If any one of the needs are not met, the system will fail.

But as we demonstrated over the past decade it can be done, as long as we maintain that coalition of government, industry and civil society. Indeed, it is the built-in tension that exists between the three parties which provides the energy required to find the correct balance for fulfilling those three critical needs.

It's not always easy. It takes sleepless nights in Tel Aviv, minisummits in St Petersburg, and more meetings and teleconference calls if necessary. But an equitable solution is possible. It can, must and will be achieved. It is why, 10 years later, we are still here.

It is also why we have to continue examining ourselves, both in the World Diamond Council and in the Kimberley Process.

Conditions change, new situations arise, and we must adapt. A series of reforms were implemented in the World Diamond Council over this past year, and we publicly have been called for a number reforms to the Kimberley Process, so as to improve the organization's efficiency and transparency.

In conclusion, I would like to thank our hosts here today, and in particular the Diamond Chamber of Russia and its president, Sergey Oulin, who is of course also a vice president of the World Diamond Council. We like to refer to the diamond as the most beautiful of God's creations. As we all know now, St. Petersburg is one of the most beautiful creations of man. Thank you for bringing us to this city, and thank you for organizing this event.

And I thank all of you as well.

Schitterend galadiner in het prachtige Joesoepovpaleis, St. Petersburg. Dhr en mevr. Edward Denckens, Dione Kenyon (JBT) en Wilfried Haas (President Diamant-Club Wien).

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Speech of of CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri at 7th Annual WDC Meeting:

Jewellery industry is advanced in accommodating principles of CSR Ladies and gentlemen, First allow me pay tribute to the WDC President, Eli Izhakoff, for the role that he has played for since the establishment of the World Diamond Council in 2000. It has been a privilege to be associated with the organisation, which over the past decade transformed not only the way that things are done in our industry, but also the way in which we are viewed by the world.

Let me also recognise our hosts here in St. Petersburg, the Diamond Chamber of Russia. Sergey, as one who has had some experience of staging international conferences, I know how much time, effort and thought went into the organization of this event. Our thanks go out to you and your staff for welcoming us to this beautiful city.

Three weeks ago I was in New York, where I attended the Leaders Summit of the Global Compact, which for those who are not familiar with the organisation is a United Nations created alliance of government, civil society and business, whose goal it is promote the UN's CSR, development and sustainability programme.

It was an impressive gathering, and it brought to New York representatives of some of the largest corporations in the world.

Sitting round the table with them, one of the things that struck me is that, in many respects, we in the diamond and jewellery industries are considerably more advanced than most when it comes to restructuring our businesses and ways of operation to accommodate the principles of CSR. Let me illustrate. The Global Compact Summit took place in shadow of two corporate disasters. The first, of course, is the global financial crisis, which to a very large degree was precipitated by irresponsible lending and investment policies of the banking sector.

The second disaster was the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which threatens wildlife and has shut fishing along much of the United States' southern coastline. There were, of course, many representatives of both the banking and energy sectors at the Global Compact summit, but I never heard any of them discuss what they, as business communities, were going to do so as to ensure that calamities of this sort never happen again.

Another issue that struck me in New York was the almost complete absence of smaller and medium sized companies.

Indeed, one of the subjects discussed was need of the Global Compact to extend its reach to the SMEs. As we well know, in this business, we are predominantly comprised of small and medium-sized companies. Many, if not most of the office holders and board members of the World Diamond Council come from that type of background.

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It often seems that we are more successful in tackling problems like conflict diamonds than in letting the world know what we have done, and who we really are. But we are making headway.

Just before travelling to New York I was in Antwerp, where CIBJO's World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation hosted its first Executive Course in CSR. Attending the course was the Chief of Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation of the United Nation's Institute for Training and Research in Geneva.

At the end of the event, he invited CIBJO to participate in UNITAR Week, which will take place in the United Nations Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo from September 19-26. In issuing the invitation, he expressly stated that the United Nations would like to use our industry as a case study and role model of how a business community has mobilised in adopting Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Investment as an industry-wide strategy. If you think back 10 years, this is truly remarkable development.

There is much still to do; the situation in Zimbabwe illustrates that very well. But we have an important story to tell the world, and plan to do that in Shanghai. One of the people who I trust will be there is Eli Izhakoff, who will be able to show how the World Diamond Council led the way.

There is another important aspect to our CSR strategy, and that I can illustrate by telling what occurred after the Global Compact Summit. From New York I travelled to Lima, Peru, where I concluded an agreement involving CIBJO, the Peruvian Ministry of Trade and Tourism, the Peruvian Exporters' Association and the country's national association for occupational training. It involves the establishment of a U.S. $6.2 million training programme, designed to improve the skills and efficiencies of 12,000 Peruvian jewellery artisans, as a first step to building a sustainable, responsible and ethical jewellery industry in Peru.

There are two sides to the CSR coin. The one side involves the absolutely critical role of the World Diamond Council, which protects the integrity of our chain of distribution. The other side is engaging in activities that improve the prospects for a better life for families and communities in the areas in which we are active.

Our industry has chosen CSR as a strategic business alternative.

Our mission is to instill the principles of CSR throughout our industry. Corporate Social Responsibility is a form of behaviour. It is a way of life. It is a philosophy by which you run your business.

From a consumer perspective, our CSR strategies should define our products and our industry. But it should not simply be a strategic choice for individual companies. It has to be a strategic choice that we make as a entire community. In fact, I would suggest that with the establishment of the World Diamond Council we made that choice 10 years ago.

(Contact: Ya'akov Almor : communications_1@cibjo.org)

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DE BEERS: H1 interim results 2010 Strong growth in production and prices as the market recovery has continued and market sentiment has gradually improved • Strong recovery against low comparisons of H1 2009, driven by increasing demand from and some re-stocking by Sightholders • Production increased by 133% to 15.4 million carats and sales of rough diamonds by the DTC were up 84% to $2.6bn • Strong consumer demand from China and India, and a modest improvement in demand from the US

Significant benefits coming through from the self-help measures implemented in 2009 • EBITDA margin increased to 25.6% from 17.6% in H1 2009 • Free cash flow of $620m up from an outflow of $126m in H1 2009

• Global costs reduced by 45% and staffing levels by 30% in 2009 • Focus remains on cash management and conservation to maximise operational leverage through the recovery

De BEERS looks forward with measured optimism and believes that she is wellpositioned to benefit from any further recovery • Encouraging strength of demand in emerging markets, particularly China and India, whilst the economic climate in OECD countries remains fragile • Transformation of business undertaken last year will continue to have a positive impact on the bottom line • Stronger balance sheet following successful refinancing of global debt in March and $1bn rights issue. Maturity of international and South African facilities extended to August 2013 • Net debt reduced to $1.98bn from $3.2bn at the end of December 2009

ALROSA: H1 results 2010 The sales of rough diamonds of Russian diamond-miner ALROSA exceeded both the level of H1 2009 and the pre-crisis H1 2007 and H1 2008 volumes.

Diamond production of 16.6 mln carats corresponds to the amount produced in H1 2009. Average interest rate of allocated debt decreased from 12.4% to 8.1%. Loan debt decreased from $3.790 mln to $3.464 mln. RUR 26 billion bond placement has been successfully completed under debt refinancing strategy.

Based on preliminary results of H1 2010, the Company’s revenue for this period is expected at RUB 53.7 billion,

proceeds from sales - RUB 18.7 billion, net income - RUB 2.5 billion. According to preliminary results, in Q2 2010 the core product sales by ALROSA amounted to $997 million, of which $249.1 million were contributed by sales to the domestic market and $747.9 by export sales. In H1 2010 rough diamond sales totaled $1.9 billion, of which sales through long-term contracts accounted for 31%. Sales of rough diamonds in the first six months of 2010 exceeded both the Jan-June 2009 and the pre-crisis levels. The 2010 target for diamond sales is set at $3.3 billion.

Antwerp World Diamond Centre and Botswana agree to create deeper relations During a visit to the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) on August 26, 2010, the Botswana Minister of Energy, Minerals & Water Resources, Ponatshego Kedikilwe met with the newly elected AWDC Board of Directors and members of the Antwerp diamond community.

The Botswana officials also visited the AWDC Diamond Office, the 'one-stop shop' import/export clearing office of diamonds which is operated together with the Belgian Federal Public Service of Economy and the Belgian Federal Public Service of Finance.

Kedikilwe and AWDC leaders stated their willingness to create

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closer relations between Antwerp and Botswana through complementary activities.

The sides said they were interested in creating comprehensive cooperation between Antwerp and the emerging Botswana diamond centre in the capital city of Gaborone.

Botswana is the biggest rough diamond producer in the world in value terms, with around $2 billion in exports annually, although that figure fell last year due to reduced output in light of a fall in global demand. Most of Botswana's rough diamonds are exported to the European Union, via De Beers’ DTC. (Press contact : Caroline Germain Tel +32 (0)3 222 05 01 )

Sociaal Nieuws Lonen diamant • indexcijfer diamant 112,72 • gemiddelde gezondheidsindex van de laatste 4 maanden bedraagt 112,82 punten. De inflatie bedraagt 2,32%.

Alle brutolonen van de diamantbranches worden bijgevolg geïndexeerd met ingang van 6 september 2010.

De lonen boven het minimum dienen eveneens vanaf voormelde datum aangepast te worden met minimum 2%.

De bruto minimumlonen van de drie beroepscategorieën diamant zijn sedert 6.9.2010: GROFBRANCHE Snijden, slijpen, verstellen, diamantkeurder eerste klasse € 86,94/dag ZAGEN EN TEKENEN VAN DIAMANT KLOVEN € 81,66/dag

KLEINBRANCHE Snijden, slijpen, bewerken van gekleurde edelstenen, verstellen van platte goederen, verstellen voor lichtjesdop, sorteren, diamantkeurder tweede klasse, zaagverstellen, andere activiteiten € 81,00/dag Overeenkomstig de CAO van 8/11/07, worden de minimumlonen van de minderjarige diamantbewerkers als volgt vastgesteld: • 15 jaar : 45% van het minimumloon • 16 jaar : 55% van het minimumloon • 17 jaar : 65% van het minimumloon • 18 jaar : 100%

Sociale uitkeringen Ingevolge een indexering op 1 september 2010 worden de sociale uitkeringen verhoogd.

Een volledige lijst van de sociale uitkeringen kan u bekomen op het bureel van SBD.

Express YOUrself & MEasure your talent Register for the HRD Awards 2011 Competition before October 15, 2010 Join the 14th edition of the most prestigious diamond jewellery design contest worldwide.

Be inspired by this edition’s theme “You and Me”, the mystery of dualism.

Express your creativity in stunning and innovative diamond jewellery. Let your work of art be admired by thousand through AWDC’s global promotional campaign.

Find out more on www.hrdawards.com Register on line or contact: Jennie Baeten, tel.: +32 3 222 05 40, email: jennie.baeten@awdc.be Barbara Descheemaecker, tel.: +32 3 222 05 43, email: barbara.descheemaeker@awdc.be

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IDMA applauds leadership succession at De Beers "De Beers CEO Gareth Penny could not have created a more spectacular exit for himself: stepping down after reporting the highest H1 profits (EBITDA $762 million) in the history of De Beers (in relation to sales volume), and the highest return on assets ever achieved," said Moti Ganz, President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), commenting on the announcement that after 5-years serving at the helm of the world's largest diamond mining and marketing conglomerate, Penny has decided that "a new captain should lead the next chapter in the company's diamond journey."

The 48-year old Penny has decided to pursue new career opportunities. IDMA fully agrees with De Beers Chairman Nicky Oppenheimer's observation that "Gareth Penny has been a passionate and effective leader through some of the most difficult challenges the company has faced in its long history."

The fates of the world's diamond manufacturers - who are manufacturing the raw materials produced by the producers and the mining companies are closely intertwined. They have a joint interest in preserving market stability and pipeline confidence. "Penny stood at the helm of De Beers during the greatest financial and diamond demand crisis since World War II. He acted decisively and didn't hesitate to reduce production by 50 percent reduced costs by 45 percent, and demonstrated utmost commercial restraints, not resorting to distress selling

WTOCD heeft een opstelling uitgewerkt om tangplaten uit te lijnen.

Uit de testen blijkt dat dit met dit instrument snel en eenvoudig kan.

Bijkomend is het eventueel mogelijk de stand van de wasas van de tang t.o.v. de slijpschijf te volgen tijdens het slijpen.

Indien u hiervoor interesse hebt, dan kan u contact opnemen met : Guy Van Goethem, Technical Advisor WTOCD Tel +32 (0)3 491 95 26 - g.van.goethem@WTOCD.be

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to reduce debts," IDMA Secretary-General Ronnie VanderLinden stated.

"The Diamond Trading Company's 84 percent increase in rough sales during the first half of this year, reaching $2.65 billion, reflected the surge in manufacturing demand among our members," Ganz added, noting that Penny has fine-tuned sales to the needs of the manufacturing community.

The IDMA president cautioned that many manufacturers are creating polished needed for restocking among jewelers and retailers and that the consumer demand recovery is still fragile.

De Beers has now launched a search for Penny's successor, In order to assure stability, continuity and reassure the markets, the company will be managed in the interim by acting joint CEO's, Chief Financial Officer Stuart Brown and Chief Commercial Officer Bruce Cleaver. "Though the search will be conducted from candidates within and outside De Beers, appointments from within have so far served the company well and have always provided continuity, stability and leadership," the IDMA president noted.

"IDMA salutes Mr. Penny and we shall always be grateful for his leadership during the recent crisis, leading his company and the diamond manufacturing industry on the road to recovery," VanderLinden concluded.

Juridisch Nieuws

Arbitrage 2

Arbitrage heeft ook een evolutie gekend in de loop der eeuwen, zo is men zich gaan specialiseren. En als rechtsfiguur dateert arbitrage uit 1838. Men heeft zo het Arbitragecentrum voor de Haven van Antwerpen, de Arbitragekamer van het Gebouw en Vastgoed, de Arbitragekamer voor Koffie, de Scheidsrechterlijke en Verzoeningskamer voor Granen en Zaden, de Syndicale Kamer voor de Handel in Veevoerders, Rijst en Peulvruchten, de Scheidsrechterlijke en Verzoeningskamer voor Dierlijke en Plantaardige Oliën en Vetten, de Vereniging der Expediteurs van Antwerpen en de Kamer van Koophandel van Antwerpen. Hieraan moeten wij de bekende Cepina toevoegen.

Internationale Arbitrage Arbitrage komt evengoed voor bij internationaal recht en bij internationale overheidsconflicten als bij b.v. een geschil tussen een lokale aannemer en zijn “onderaannemer”.

Wegens de globalisering worden de economische grenzen verlegd. Bedrijven verhuizen veel sneller dan 20 jaar geleden, “transfer of technology” en handel is niet alleen op europees niveau geëvolueerd maar ook “World Wide”.

Hiervoor is arbitrage het enige middel om een rechtvaardig proces te bekomen. De partijen mogen de taal en de plaats waar de debatten zullen plaats vinden kiezen en worden door experten in de materie waarover het geschil is ontstaan berecht. Er zijn dus geen kosten van vertalingen van diklijvige dossiers door beëdigde tolken.

De internationale verdragen van New York van 10 juni 1958, het verdrag van Genève van 1961 en de Europese wetgeving aangaande arbitrage van januari 1966 geven aan arbitrage alle middelen en bewegingsvrijheid. In N.Y. verbonden de 150 leden van de UNO zich ertoe arbitrage in hun wetgeving op te nemen en uitspraken van andere staten uit te voeren. Het is in de Angelsaksische landen dat arbitrage sneller aan belang won. Maar niet te min speelt Parijs ook een belangrijke rol in de evolutie van Arbitrage op het continent.

De Europese wetgever in Straatsburg heeft reeds op 20 januari 1996 een wet geformuleerd inzake arbitrage om een uniforme reglementering toe te passen in de Lidstaten.

Bij internationale samenwerking b.v. een contract tussen een Belgische vennootschap en een Marokkaanse partner voor een project in Nigeria zal men zorgen om niet voor een Marokkaanse of Nigeriaanse arbitrage te komen, men zal eerder een kamer kiezen in Parijs, Londen of Genève. Dit moet wel voorzien worden in de arbitrageovereenkomst.

Hier moeten wij bijvoegen dat een vonnis van een rechtbank zeer moeilijk uitvoerbaar is in het buitenland, daarentegen zal een arbitrale uitspraak vrij snel uitvoerbaar zijn in de 150 lidstaten.

De wetgever in België heeft de arbitrage procedures in de wet voorzien in artikels 1676 tot 1723 en geeft iedere arbitragekamer een zekere vrijheid van interpretatie. Toch staat ons land achter op gebied van arbitrage vergeleken met onze buurlanden.

België blijft zoals in andere materies traditioneel, 23

maar nu wij door Europa een nieuwe impuls krijgen zal onze mentaliteit veranderen; arbitrage is één van die elementen die zich snel zal ontwikkelen.

voor de expert verboden om te verzoenen, dit is de taak van de Rechter. De verzoening is in de diamantsector opgenomen door de weekcommissarissen.

Thans stelt men een proliferatie van arbitragekamers en instituten vast. Herman Verbist telde dat in een periode van vijf jaar niet minder dan 34 Belgische arbitrage-instellingen zijn, waarvan 9 in Antwerpen gevestigd zijn (waaronder de diamantsector).

Waarom arbitrage ?

Arbitrage steunt op twee belangrijke punten, enerzijds zijn arbitrage reglementen en procedures en anderzijds de verklaring van de partijen die bereid zijn zich te onderwerpen aan de arbitrage beslissingen. Artikel 1677 zegt klaar en duidelijk: “een overeenkomst tot arbitrage behoort te zijn vervat in een door partijen ondertekend geschrift, of in andere hen bindende stukken, waarin zij blijk hebben gegeven van hun wil om het geschil aan arbitrage te onderwerpen”. Dit kan onder andere een verbinding zijn door een beroepsvereniging zoals in de diamantsector.

Heden vindt men, vooral in internationale handel en nijverheid, in overeenkomsten, contracten en in lastenboeken de clausule dat in geval van betwisting het geschil in arbitrage beslecht zal worden in plaats van de Rechtbank.

Arbitrage kan voorzien worden bij het afsluiten van een overeenkomst voor verkoop van goederen, levering van bouwprojecten, “transfer of technology” enz.

Ofwel kan men overgaan naar arbitrage na het ontstaan van de betwisting. In het eerste geval eindigt men met in plaats van “de rechtbanken van X zijn bevoegd” door : “bij betwisting zullen de partijen zich onderwerpen aan de arbitragekamer van X”. In het tweede geval kan men met wederzijds akkoord in plaats van naar de rechtbank te stappen zich tot de arbitragekamer richten. Wij spreken dus niet over verzoening; verzoening is meestal een opdracht die de deskundigen als bijvoegsel krijgen in een vonnis van de rechtbank bij aanstelling van een opdracht. Opdracht die b.v. nooit gebeurt in het Frans rechtssysteem; daar is het

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De voornaamste reden om voor arbitrage te kiezen is de termijn van het proces. Waar men bij het Gerecht soms op 5 à 10 jaren moet rekenen alvorens een vonnis te bekomen, zal men in arbitrage normaal moeten kunnen afsluiten op 6 maanden. Het risico bij de traditionele procedure is dat na een tiental jaren procederen men veel geld heeft uitgegeven en een goed vonnis bekomen heeft, maar dat de tegenpartij ondertussen een leeg ei geworden is ofwel ondertussen failliet werd verklaard.

Artikel 1698 luidt als volgt: partijen kunnen tot het tijdstip waarop de eerste arbiter zijn opdracht heeft aanvaard, de termijn vaststellen binnen welke de uitspraak moet worden gedaan of de wijze bepalen waarop deze termijn zal worden vastgelegd.

Bij vergelijking zou men kunnen zeggen dat het klassiek gerecht goedkoper is aangezien de rechters justitiefunctionarissen zijn en dat bij arbitrage de arbiters en de administratie duurder zijn. Maar vergeleken met de jaren aanslepen bij het gerecht moet men vaststellen dat arbitrage goedkoper uitkomt.

Een andere belangrijke reden is dat de arbiter of arbiters, mensen zijn uit de sector die de problematiek beter kennen. Dit sluit niet uit dat de arbiters beroep kunnen doen, zoals het gerecht, op een meer gespecialiseerde expert. Bij voorbeeld zal men in de diamantsector soms beroep doen op een bedrijfsrevisor om de boekhouding te ontleden.

Last but not least, belangrijke aspecten van arbitrage zijn de interne regeling, de debatten gebeuren achter gesloten deuren, verzekeren de geheimhouding en vooral de “flexibiliteit” in overleg met de partijen.

Eddy Vleeschdrager

(Bron: Gerechtelijk Wetboek, Jura Falconis KU Leuven, L’Arbitrage Volontaire en Droit Belge, L’Arbitrage et le Droit Européen Bruylant, Instituut voor Arbitrage Arbitrage Recht Tjeenk Willink-Zwolle)

Applicants invited to apply for first course in eco-sustainable jewellery design, offered by the Politecnico di Milano together with CIBJO and WJCEF The Politecnico di Milano has announced that it will conduct its first-ever international course in eco-sustainable jewellery design from March 14 to March 19, 2011. The course is being organised in cooperation with CIBJO and the World Jewellery Confederation Education Foundation (WJCEF), which is the body established by CIBJO to advance the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility in the jewellery industry.

"What do we mean when we say 'eco-sustainable jewellery'?" said Professor Alba Cappellieri, who is in charge of the curriculum at the Politecnico di Milano 's Interdisciplinary School of Design. "We refer to jewellery that promotes both social and environmental sustainability. That means it complies with the principle that it meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This is prerequisite that we developed together with CIBJO and WJCEF, which are the only bodies in the international jewellery sector to be formally affiliated to the development programme of the United Nations."

The course will be conducted in English at the Politecnico di Milano's POLI.design campus in Milan. It will include two parts, with the first dealing with the theory of eco-sustainable jewellery (7 hours) and the second part being a hands-on workshop (28 hours). Instruction will be provide by lecturers from the design department of the Politecnico di Milano and world renowned experts in sustainable jewellery design, who

will work together with the students assignments.

on their practical

A maximum of 30 students will be admitted to the course, and attendance will be mandatory in order to graduate.

Applicants for the course should be first and second level graduates holding a high school-level diploma from an art school or goldsmith institute, as well as professional jewellers wishing to specialize in eco-sustainable jewellery design.

Candidates will be accepted following an evaluation by the acceptance committee of their professional curriculum vitae (CV).

The cost of the eco-sustainable jewellery design € 1,000 plus 20 percent VAT. Number of scholarships will be available, and in order to apply for one candidates should email their application forms and CVs to formazione@polidesign.net at the Politecnico di Milano by October 30, 2010.

Founded in 1863, the Politecnico di Milano is the oldest university in Milan. With about 38,000 students, it is the largest technical university in Italy.

For more information about the eco-sustainable jewellery design, please contact: Ufficio Coordinamento Formazione Tel: +39 02 2399 7275 Email: formazione@polidesign.net - Website: www.polidesign.net (Contact: Ya'akov Almor:communications_1@cibjo.org)

CIBJO is the international jewellery confederation of national trade organizations. CIBJO's purpose is to encourage harmonization, promote international cooperation in the jewellery industry and to consider issues which concern the trade worldwide.

CIBJO's chief mission is to protect consumer confidence in the industry.

HRD Antwerp extends Lab Link services to eight Indian cities HRD Antwerp NV and its logistics partners, Ferrari Belgium in Antwerp and BVC Logistics in Mumbai, have announced the extension of the HRD Diamond Lab’s popular Lab Link service to eight cities in India.

The HRD Lab Link provides door-to-door services to clients located outside of Belgium with the complete range of products provided by the HRD Diamond Lab in Antwerp, including full diamond certificates, fancy colour diamond certificates, laser inscriptions with the HRD Certificate ID number inscribed on the girdle, and sealing, which guarantees the association between the stone and the certificate. Diamonds are picked up at the clients’ offices, and are returned with their certificates after grading.

The newly extended India Lab Link will provide direct services

between Antwerp and Mumbai and Antwerp and Surat with indirect services to Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Jaipur being offered through Mumbai. The fee charged to clients will cover, in addition to certification and other HRD Diamond Lab services, round-trip shipping, pickup and delivery, and secure and insured transportation between Antwerp and the client’s offices in India.

Since Lab Link was first introduced in 2007, the exclusive service for the diamond industry has been extended to clients in six countries. The Lab Link network now covers Hong Kong, Dubai, New York, Israel, Spain and the Indian subcontinent.

For more information, please contact HRD Antwerp Diamond Lab at tel.: +32 3 222 06 25 or e-mail: diamondlab@hrdantwerp.be

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Nishit Parikh is the first person of Indian origin to be elected as president of Antwerp's primary diamond industry representative body.

New AWDC president ready to move forward with agenda

If anything can be said about the newly elected president of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), it is that he is eager to get started. Nishit Parikh, born and bred in the diamond industry and better known by friends and colleagues as Bali, is the first person of Indian origin to serve as AWDC president.

“It’s not only a great honour for me, but more importantly, it’s an even greater honour for the Indian community here in Antwerp. They see it as a recognition of the importance and strong position of the Indian community in the Antwerp diamond industry. Moreover, it confirms the excellent relationships between Antwerp and India. Antwerp is India’s number one supplier of rough and I firmly believe that will continue.”

Parikh has ambitious plans for Antwerp. “I see a great opportunity to help the Antwerp diamond sector move forward. Antwerp is the most important diamond centre in the world and losing market share is simply no option. I believe three things are essential: unity, transparency and efficiency. It is our mission to unify the diamond sector, to speak with one voice, to defend the interests of all who work in the diamond industry here. And by all I mean everyone; the large and small companies, the federations, the industry. We all have a common goal; we are all businessmen, whose only interest is the prosperity of the Antwerp diamond business.”

According to Parikh, that should also be the message AWDC gets across to the world outside Antwerp’s diamond square mile. “Diamond dealers are all too often looked upon as outsiders, and that has to change dramatically. They have to become part of the Antwerp community, part of the family. In the people’s minds we are a closed community, while we are actually quite the opposite. One of the most unique strengths of the Antwerp diamond community is its diversity and multiculturalism. There is no other place where Jewish people, Christians, Muslims, Jain, Hindu and so many other people from a wide variety of origins work together happily, in spite of what people often say. If you want people to support and trust you, you have to help them, show them who you are. That means we have to assume a proactive role here in Antwerp, on all levels. By continuing to make our business more transparent

26

we will gain trust, from politicians, investors, citizens. Without their trust we are nowhere.”

Transparency also refers to Antwerp’s high ethical standards, which is a positive element says Parikh. “The fact that Antwerp upholds a straightforward ethical policy doesn’t necessarily form a barrier, quite the opposite. To me it is clear we have to work towards a form of level playing field, but that doesn’t mean we will let our ethical standards go, on the contrary. We don’t want to bring anything into Antwerp that is tainted and at the same time we want to keep the flow steady. I believe it is a matter of defining a fine line, but it has to be a clear line.”

The new AWDC President has a well-defined idea on how Antwerp can maintain its position as the world diamond centre: “We have to find ways to work more efficiently. If we look at Antwerp today, the main part of our business lies in the fact that we are the premier trading centre of the world.

Obviously my main concern is to keep and expand the rough goods coming in to Antwerp.

But I believe the future of Antwerp isn’t limited to being the world’s leading trade centre only. Technological innovation is high on my agenda for Antwerp. We have to make sure we keep investing in technology and research. I believe there is a scope to bring manufacturing back to Antwerp. We can rely on hundreds of years worth of experience in this business, which is proven by the fact that almost every large or exceptional stone ends up in Antwerp. We have the skills and the knowhow and nowadays manufacturing is not merely a matter of low labour cost anymore. The necessary technological progress in the diamond business is a fact. Antwerp has to take full advantage of the fact that we possess an important asset over other centres: we have a vast knowledge base that, combined with the right technology, can rekindle our strengths as a manufacturing hub, not just for rare and exceptional stones.

From my own personal experience I think you need to have a good balance between trade and manufacturing if you want to be successful.”

According to Parikh there are other strengths Antwerp needs to develop further. “I think Antwerp should build up a knowledge centre where banks, investors, and people looking for market information can go to get solid data. Centralising the

knowledge that is already here in Antwerp, would also make the business more transparent and more attractive for investors, new banks, and others. Let’s not forget that one of the advantages Antwerp has, compared to our competitors, is the fact that financial structures and different ways of financing are available openly.

“Efficiency also means the whole sector has to adapt to a changing business climate, whether it’s a big company or a small one. I think it is AWDC’s mission, with the support of the federations and the industry, to educate our people, to help them adapt to a modern culture of doing business, with for example the implementation of information technology, and new marketing strategies. I often say it’s an ocean out there, there is room for everyone, but those who hold on to the traditional ways don’t stand a chance. People need to realize we live in a different era, this is definitely why many smaller companies have become so successful and why they shouldn’t be afraid about the future. All it takes is putting in the

necessary amount of energy and the will to adapt. It is my ambition to make sure AWDC can provide all the tools to get everyone on the right track."

Parikh says he’s not the kind of person to wait and see what happens; he is ready to get started fast. “If I believe in something, I’ll put my heart and soul into it. I wanted to be a candidate for the AWDC board because I’m convinced it is time for a new generation and a fresh look to help Antwerp move forward. If I look at our team I see a new group of people, all quite young in age, but they come from different backgrounds and that is important to me.

Different backgrounds mean different opinions, and that is exactly what we need. But that doesn’t mean it’s ‘out with the old and in with the new’ at all.

We will always need the elders to guide us in the right direction, as mentors. I’m not saying I will agree with them on everything, but I deeply respect them and value their experience. I think the young generation has to do the work, while the older generation monitors.”

Diamdel Antwerpen vertegenwoordigt België in de meest competitieve “Business Awards” wedstrijd De European Business Awards, gesponsord door HSBC (www.businessawardseurope.com), kondigden vandaag aan dat Diamdel Antwerpen België zal vertegenwoordigen in het prestigieuze Awardsprogramma voor 2010. Diamdel moest stevige concurrenten afslaan om geselecteerd te worden als een van de 15 Country Representatives. De onderneming zal nu in de volgende ronde van de wedstrijd strijden om een fel begeerde Ruban d’Honneur. Wie uiteindelijk met de Award in elke categorie aan de haal gaat, zal op 16 november in Parijs bekendgemaakt worden.

De European Business Awards, die hun vierde succesvolle jaar ingaan, hebben enkele van de beste bedrijven van Europa geselecteerd op basis van hun vermogen om de drie principes, die de kern vormen van het Awardsprogramma, te demonstreren. De gewaardeerde jury was op zoek naar organisaties die blijk gaven van innovatie, zakelijke uitmuntendheid en duurzaamheid om België te vertegenwoordigen.

“Bij Diamdel zijn we dolgelukkig dat we geselecteerd werden om België te vertegenwoordigen”, aldus Neil

Ventura, CEO van Diamdel. “Diamdel is al meer dan 44 jaar actief in de diamantsector in Antwerpen en het is een eer erkend te worden als een van de toonaangevende bedrijven in ons land en onze branche.

De European Business Awards worden wijd en zijd erkend als de vitrine voor de meest dynamische ondernemingen van Europa. We kijken uit naar de volgende ronde van de wedstrijd, waarin we in heel Europa zullen strijden om een Ruban d’Honneur te ontvangen in onze categorie.”

De European Business Awards draaien rond de zichtbaarheid en vooruitgang van ondernemingen die uitblinken in innovatie die hand in hand gaat met succesvolle commerciële resultaten, terwijl ze verantwoordelijk handelen en zo de sociale omgeving waarin ze actief zijn positief beïnvloeden.

In 2009 hadden de 99 bedrijven die met een Ruban d’Honneur bekroond werden een gecombineerde omzet van meer dan 570 miljard EUR en een gemiddelde jaarlijkse winsttoename van 56%.

(Lynette.gould@debeersgroup.co.uk www.diamdel.com) 27

Personalia Jacky Roth appointed to WDC Board of Directors The Board of Directors of the World Diamond Council has approved the appointment of Jacky Roth, the veteran diamond industry leader from Belgium, to its ranks. Mr. Roth's appointment was proposed by the presidents of all four Belgian diamond exchanges, who were joined by WDC President Eli Izhakoff.

Mr. Roth began his public service career in the Antwerp diamond industry in 1979 when he was first elected to the board of the Beurs voor Diamanthandel and over the years held various posts at the diamond exchange and at the Federation of Belgian Diamond Bourses. In 1982, he was elected a board member of the HRD (Diamond High Council), the umbrella organization that represented the Belgian diamond center, which was restructured into the Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC) in 2006. He was elected as its president in 2004, and after retiring from the position earlier this year was named the AWDC Honorary President.

In recognition of Mr. Roth's role in the Belgian diamond sector, in 2005 he was decorated with the title of Commander in the Order of Leopold II by King Albert II. "We are indeed privileged to have an individual with Jacky's breadth of knowledge and experience on the WDC Board of Directors," said Mr. Izhakoff.

"I am confident that he will play a valuable role in helping the WDC fulfill its valuable mission."

SBD was vertegenwoordigd Juni 2010 1/6 - Plenaire zitting van het Paritair Comité voor de Diamantnijverheid en -handel - Afscheidsviering Ridder Nathan Ramet als bestuurder Diamantclub van Antwerpen 3/6 - Werkgroep 3Ex/Opleiding - VBO-Belgische Europarlementsleden 7/6 - RVD-Acerta 10/6 - Comité Veiligheid HRD - Lunchdebat politieke partijen Federatie 15/6 - Beperkt comité opleiding - Fonds voor de Diamantnijverheid 15-16/6 - Verkiezingen AWDC 17/6 - Bureel SBD - Bestendig Comité AWDC 18/6 - Tuinfeest VOKA 21/6 - Bezoek VBO aan de diamantnijverheid 22/6 - Bestendig Comité AWDC - Algemene Vergadering Rijksverlofkas voor de Diamantnijverheid 24/6 - Algemene Raad WTOCD - Receptie laatste jaarsstudenten SIHA 26/6 - Lezing n.a.v. Expositie “HarT voor HarD” 28/6 - Toezichtscommissie AXA - Plenaire zitting van het Paritair Comité voor de Diamantnijverheid en -handel 30/6 - Raad van Bestuur AWDC

Geboorte tweede zoon Anthony Verhaere Op 16 augustus werd Jack geboren, zoontje van ons raadslid Anthony Verhaere.

SBD hoopt dat Jack, samen met Anthony en moeder Liesbet en broertje Alex in goede gezondheid en harmonie mag opgroeien en wenst zijn ouders en grootouders van harte proficiat met de jongste spruit.

Geboorte tweeling Judith Ollech Judith Ollech, dochter van bestuurslid Wolf Ollech, is bevallen van een tweeling.

SBD wenst Judith en haar familie een dikke proficiat met deze heuglijke gebeurtenis.

Huwelijk van Rob Loots Op 11 september 2010 trouwt Rob Loots, zoon van ons raadslid Dirk Loots, met Zoë Coolen.

Wij wensen het jonge paar onze hartelijke gelukwensen en hopen dat deze stralende dag in liefde en voorspoed verder mag gaan..

28

Juli 2010 1/7 - Algemene Ledenvergadering SBD - Ontvangst Chinese delegatie 6/7 - Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair 2011 7/7 - Raad van Bestuur AWDC 8/7 - Diamantforum, Project 2020 11-13/7 - 34th IDMA/WFDB Congress, Moscow 14-15/7 - 7th Annual Meeting WDC, St.Petersburg 20/7 - RVD 22/7 - Bureel SBD 26/7 - Bestendig Comité AWDC 27/7 - Fonds voor de Diamantnijverheid - RVD

INTERNATIONAL DIAMOND MANUFACTURERS

IMPORTERS - EXPORTERS

Hoveniersstraat 53, box 127 • B-2018 Antwerpen-Belgium Phone : (03) 206 16 00 • Fax : (03) 206 16 01 www.rosyblue.com

CRISDIAM

DE HANTSETTERS & VERHAERE

NV

International Diamond Manufacturers Hoveniersstraat 2 bus 240 B-2018 Antwerpen Belgium Tel. 03-233.65.59 - Fax: 03-234.28.51 www.crisdiam.com

Schupstraat 21, 2nd floor 2018 Antwerpen - Belgium info@dhv.be

Tel. : +32 (0)3 233 90 76 Fax : +32 (0)3 231 72 34 www.dhv.be

THROUGH ITS INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES AND PIONEERING RESEARCH, DIAMCAD HAS OBTAINED A UNIQUE POSITION IN THE MARKET OF HIGH VALUE GEM STONES. OUR TEAM OF HIGHLY SKILLED AND DEDICATED PROFESSIONALS BRING THEIR WIDE EXPERIENCE WHEN HANDLING A STONE WITH THE PARTICULAR ATTENTION AND SPECIAL APPROACH IT DESERVES. AS A RESULT OF THIS EXCEPTIONAL MIXTURE OF TECHNOLOGY, INSIGHT AND CRAFTSMANSHIP, DIAMCAD HAS ACQUIRED A PROMINENT REPUTATION.

DIAMCAD NV - SCHUPSTRAAT 17, 2018 ANTWERPEN - BELGIUM T. +32 (3) 206 92 70 - F. +32 (3) 206 92 71 - INFO@DIAMCAD.BE - WWW.DIAMCAD.BE