Free Republic

Here is some of the current shame of Belgium: Blood Diamonds Belgium Accused Continuing Sale of Unita Diamonds Panafrican News Agency April 24, 2001 The Belgian mining marketing town of Antwerp has continued to buy diamonds from the rebel National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), according to a secret report released by the General Intelligence Service. The Belgian press on Monday quoted the report, which indicated that the sale of "blood diamonds" had continued despite the institution of a certificate of origin for diamonds originating from the civil war torn Angola. The head of the working group...

France accused of genocide role Kagame denies ordering the shooting down of the Rwandan president's plane in 1994 Rwandan President Paul Kagame has accused French people of "direct involvement" in the 1994 genocide. He told the French state-owned RFI radio that they provided weapons and training, and gave orders to those who killed some 800,000 people. He said the "French elements" were acting on government orders. The president was speaking a week after a French daily reported a police report that blamed him for a rocket attack that precipitated the massacre. "Sooner or later they will have to account for...

PRESIDENT Sam Nujoma told over 400 delegates at the Namibia Public Workers Union (Napwu) Congress on Friday to unite and support Zimbabwe. "Today it is Zimbabwe, tomorrow it is Namibia or any other country. We must unite and support Zimbabwe. We cannot allow imperialism to take over our continent again. We must defend ourselves," Nujoma told delegates gathered at the Namib High School. He said he had not heard any union member in Namibia protesting the recent action of the British government when they stopped a Zimbabwean deputy minister from passing through Britain on his way to a conference for...

LEADING American diamond merchant Maurice Tempelsman has offered to arrange a secret payment for Government if it entrenches the right of the De Beers cartel to buy all Namibia's diamonds. Tempelsman has written to President Sam Nujoma proposing that a secret loan of N$500 million or more be raised to cover Government's projected national Budget deficit, but the money will only be paid if Government drops plans to independently check the prices De Beers pays Namibia for diamond exports. If it goes ahead, the move will retard plans to open up the diamond market and will further delay the implementation...