Tuesday 7 May 2013

U.S. official to discuss stolen ‘blood diamonds’ with Israel

 War diomonds

A top U.S. official is traveling to Israel to discuss trade with a focus on conflict diamonds.

Jose Fernandez, the assistant secretary of state for economic and business affairs, arrived in Israel on Monday for a two-day visit, the State Department said in a statement.

"During this visit, Assistant Secretary Fernandez will meet with government officials and business community representatives to discuss U.S.-Israel bilateral and regional economic issues and conflict diamonds, respectively," the statement said.

Israel, a major diamond-cutting center, has been a leader in the Kimberley Process, the grouping that seeks to cut off the trade in "blood diamonds" -- diamonds mined and stolen by rebels and pariah governments to fund wars.

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2013/05/07/3125916/us-official-talks-blood-diamonds-with-israel#When:10:23:00Z

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