One of the most closed conferences works in Moscow today. Representatives from diamond controlling companies of some 30 countries gathered at President Hotel. They came to work out single system for diamond control over world diamond turnover, the system that would exclude their use for financing wars in conflict zones. Russia, the second biggest diamond manufacturer is to support these measures to avoid being isolated.

Media access to the President Hotel is strictly limited - only 15 minute shooting of the opening ceremony. Organizers of the conference did not object as all diamond-related events are usually treated as "top secret" in Russia. After President's regulation which widened the list of state secret information the information on diamond extraction including factual volume, projections and reserves of each single deposit is secret, so the decision was not discussed.

Discussion of conflict diamonds began 5 days prior to Moscow conference. According to Kommersant Gokhran, state treasury of Russia consultated Belgians, Englishmen, Israeli. Yesterday workgroup headed by Valery Rudakov and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Ivanov worked the agenda of 3 day forum.

Up to recent time Russia ignored conflict diamonds problem considering that could hardly involve her as the subject linked to African countries. In addition to that bloody diamonds were only 4% of total turnover.

So, last summer UN Security Council banned turnover of diamonds from conflict zones and UN General Assembly addressed market members to work out standards for a certification system. Sierra Leone Government imposed diamond export ban. Russian Partner - Angola can be subject to the same measures. In december Security Council announced a report on sanctions against Angola. This report was in fact an accusation of Russia linked to blood diamond trade.

In accordance with report which is at disposal of Kommersant former USSR resident Victor Bout organised diamond trade. As for weapon supply Voronezh "Polyot Air" company was mentioned.

Another reason for participation in discussing these issues is the risk to be in isolation. USA (consumer of appr. 50% of diamonds) discussed the number of laws that will ban export of diamonds that are not certified. Belgium (annual diamond turnover of $26 bn) is to follow this way.

According to Kommersant the main purpose of the conference is working out a certification system. That will be in fact extremely difficult.

Russia has her own view on how to limit bloody diamonds turnover and establishment of International Body for Diamond Supervision is absolutely unacceptable. Russia proposes to use home control bodies that will share information as an alternative to this. "WDC could serve as a supranational body. That would rather be a workgroup including representatives from different countries, Russia among them", said Andrei Kutepov, First Head Deputy of Gokhran.

Raw certification is a serious issue and many contradictions can occur. Some countries including the USA and the Great Britain propose to certify diamonds in accordance with their origin, that means all the costs of such certification would be run by diamond producing countries and diamond traders such as Belgium, USA, Israel, India would just get final results. Russia backs the idea of complex certification proposed at Kimberley Process which would be filled out by exporting countries as well.