Israel, chosen last month to oversee global efforts to end the trade in “blood diamonds” that stokes guerrilla wars, was put on the spot on Friday when Syria asked the UN General Assembly to delete any mention of that leadership role in the Kimberley Process.
The US and other Western nations, in turn, objected to the General Assembly resolution’s failure to censure Zimbabwe, which is accused of exporting “blood diamonds,” but they voted for the overall measure.
CONFUSION
The General Assembly suspended its deliberations for consultations on Friday morning after the US, Canada and Israel challenged the Syrian parliamentary maneuver and expressed confusion over what it meant and what effect it would have.
After a recess, the General Assembly reconvened and the Syrian amendment was defeated 90-6, with 18 abstentions. Iran and North Korea joined Syria and some Arab nations in voting against Israel.
The Syrian objection came as the assembly was poised to adopt a Namibia-sponsored resolution welcoming progress over the past year in efforts to cut the trade in “conflict diamonds,” which have provoked some of Africa’s most vicious civil wars and rebel movements. The objection was a surprise, never raised before Friday’s vote as a consensus draft resolution was developed.
Syria objected to a passing reference near the end of the six-page resolution that simply noted that nations involved in the Kimberley Process “selected Israel to chair” their efforts next year. The decision was made at an annual meeting last month in Namibia.
ARMS FINANCING
Syria accused Israel of dealing in Ivory Coast “blood diamonds” to finance arms transactions, an accusation that Israel has previously denied.
The Kimberley Process imposes stringent requirements on its 49 members to certify shipments of rough diamonds as “conflict-free.” The group consists of states and regional economic organizations that trade in rough diamonds, representing 75 countries.
Israel is a global trading center for rough diamonds and was among the founders of the Kimberley Process.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
RSS