BELGIUM: ANTWERP DIAMOND INDUSTRY IS COMING UNDER INCREASING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE OVER ILLEGAL TRADING

Record ID: 974243

  • Title: BELGIUM: ANTWERP DIAMOND INDUSTRY IS COMING UNDER INCREASING INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE OVER ILLEGAL TRADING
  • Date: 29th May 2000
  • Summary: ANTWERP, BELGIUM AND FILE (RECENT/FILE) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (FILE) (REUTERS) 1. CLOSEUP DIAMOND ADVERTISEMENT 0.22 ANTWERP, BELGIUM (RECENT) (REUTERS -ACCESS ALL) 2. SLV STREET SCENE OF DIAMOND DISTRICT OF ANTWERP 0.26 3. SMV DIAMOND TRADERS SHAKING HANDS IN STREET 0.28 4. VARIOUS, EXTERIOR DIAMOND TRADERS' OFFICE (3 SHOTS) 0.38 5. VARIOUS OF DIAMONDS BEING CUT/POLISHED (2 SHOTS) 0.45 6. CLOSEUP DIAMOND BEING HELD UP 0.47 7. CLOSE UP, DIAMONDS SPREAD OUT ON TABLE 0.51 8. WIDE OF DIAMOND TRADERS LOOKING AT DIAMONDS 0.54 9. SMV DIAMONDS SEEN THROUGH MAGNIFYING GLASS 0.58 10. VARIOUS, DIAMOND TRADERS INSPECTING DIAMONDS (2 SHOTS) 1.05 11. WIDE OF DIAMOND TRADERS ROOM 1.10 12. VARIOUS OF DIAMONDS BEING CUT AND INSPECTED (7 SHOTS) 1.32 13. CLOSE UP POSTER READING NO DIAMONDS FOR ARMS (RELATING TO ANGOLA) 1.34 (UNKNOWN LOCATION, ANGOLA) (REUTERS) (FILE) 14. AERIAL FOOTAGE OF DIAMOND MINE IN ANGOLA 1.38 15. AERIAL OF DIAMOND MINERS WORKING (3 SHOTS) 1.48 ANTWERP , BELGIUM) (RECENT) (REUTERS- ACCESS ALL) 16. GV EXTERIOR DIAMOND HIGH COUNCIL/ SIGN AT ENTRANCE (2 SHOTS) 1.53 17. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER MEEUS, Managing Director of the Diamond High Council: "We think this is highly exaggerated, and actually it's not founded. And if it has existed it might have existed in the past but it's not the case at all anymore since there is a UN embargo." 2.09 18. SLV , DIAMOND TRADERS 2.17 19. SMV ALEX YEARSLEY, CAMPAIGNER AT GLOBAL WITNESS SITTING AT HIS COMPUTER (3 SHOTS) 2.27 20. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) ALEX YEARSLEY, CAMPAIGNER, GLOBAL WITNESS "There is plenty of evidence of illegal diamond trade in Antwerp. You have to look at the statistics and you can see the number of diamonds being imported from countries that don't actually produce diamonds. Countries that do produce diamonds and when they produce way in excess of the actual amount of diamonds that they can physically produce leads to people to suggest that there is a lot of illegal diamond activity in Antwerp still. There is a lot of suspicion, there is a lot of rumour. The actual people who do know are the traders themselves. They're a very close network of people, and we get calls from people saying 'do you know x-amount of diamonds that have come in from x-country?' and it's very hard for us to actually act upon that. All we can do is go and talk to people and until the trade actually starts to turn in the people that do these illegal activities they will remain and carry on and do it."/ CUTAWAY DIAMONDS (4 SHOTS) 3.12 21. SMV ROB KIEK, DIAMOND DEALER INSPECTING DIAMONDS AT DESK (3 SHOTS) 3.21 22. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROB KIEK: "It's very easy to say that we are against illegal trade. But it's difficult to stop. It's something you can't really stop because a lot of Angolan diamonds come through other channels mixed into parcels with South African diamonds." 3.49 23. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER MEEUS "You can compare rough diamonds with water. Water goes to the sea, rough diamonds come to Antwerp. If there is a contamination of the sea, you'd like to decontaminate the origin not the sea. If you want to decontaminate the sea, it's a very big job. It'll take you decades." 4.10 24. VARIOUS, DIAMONDS BEING CUT AND CHECKED (5 SHOTS) 4.29 25. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER MEEUS "We can only take up our position as world leader if we respond to questions for more transparency. So it's not only a question of changing the image, it's also a question of survival and giving full accountability to the world." 5.04 26. VARIOUS, TRADER LOOKING AT DIAMOND (2 SHOTS) 5.17 27. GV , DIAMOND CUTTER AT WORK BENCH/ CU DIAMOND 5.34 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th June 2000 13:00
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  • Location: ANTWERP, BELGIUM/FILE
  • City:
  • Country: Angola Belgium
  • Reuters ID: LVANV34OGQ8FKYLDO4GNKHKAUC
  • Story Text:
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS - SOURCE TO BE VERIFIED
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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