Harare - Zimbabwe has met minimum human rights standards in its diamond fields, an international monitor said in a report Tuesday, bringing the country a step closer to resuming international trade in the gems.
"Zimbabwe has satisfied minimum requirements of the Kimberley Process certification scheme for the trade in rough diamonds," the
global diamond regulator said in its report, obtained by AFP.
Last year, Kimberley investigators documented forced labour, beatings and other abuses by the military against civilians in the eastern Marange diamond fields.
The Kimberley Process will consider the report later this month at a meeting in Israel, which could clear the way for Zimbabwe to resume diamond exports.
- Sapa