HARARE (Reuters) - Diamond sales from Zimbabwe's Marange fields will resume by September after an agreement with the Kimberley Process, which monitors trade in the gems, the World Diamond Council (WDC) said.
The announcement, made at the end of an annual WDC meeting in Russia on Thursday, ends a stand-off between the southern African country and regulator Kimberley Process and rights groups which accuse the army of rights abuses at Marange.
Zimbabwe says it holds a stockpile of over 4 million carats of Marange diamonds worth an estimated $1.7 billion, almost as much as its 2010 budget. The government hopes the move will boost the struggling economy and attract donor aid.
