15 Canadile [Marange Resources]’.” 60 In response, the European Union argued that the decision was taken without due process and therefore could not stand. 61 In mid April, the South African government declared its backing for the diamond sales and said Harare had complied with international standards. 62 At the KP’s Intersessional Meeting in Kinshasa during June, the World Diamond Council President, Eli Izhakoff, urged all KP participants to correct past mistakes and return to the core principles that characterized the KP when it was established. In his address, he stressed that the Kimberley Process system was about “humanity, not politics”. “At its core, the Kimberley Process is about protecting the right of communities and individuals to derive properly deserved benefit from natural resources…. While we will not agree on everything, we… are firmly committed to a trade in diamonds that is not tainted by conflict...” 63 Three days later, however, on 23 June, VOA reported that KP Chairman Mathieu Yamba had “issued an administrative notice announcing ‘with immediate effect’ the approval of the sale of rough stones” from Mbada and Marange Resources. “The text [also] provided for the quick certification of other companies operating in Marange, some Chinese…. Protesting what they considered to be an abandonment of human rights concerns, civil society observers walked out of the plenary meeting on [the] Thursday, refusing to participate and issuing a vote of no confidence in the [KP].” 64 Human Rights Watch called for consumers not to buy Marange diamonds and urged the KP governments to suspend diamond sales until the Zimbabwean dispute was resolved. “We have credible reports of beatings, shootings, dogs being set on villagers and other abuses at the hands of the military,” senior HRW researcher Tiseke Kasambala told SW Radio Africa on June 30. “This [decision by the KP chair] is a terrible tragedy for the KP because it erases all the good work it 60 Rapaport, ‘KP chair authorises Marange diamond exports’, 21 March, 2011: http://www.diamonds.net/fairtrade/Article.aspx?ArticleID=35015 61 VOA, ‘New Kimberley Process chairman from DRC clears Zimbabwe diamond sales’, 22 March 2011: http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/Uproar-Within-Diamond-Watchdog-As-Chairman-UnilaterallyAllows-Zimbabwe-To-Sell-Marange-Diamonds-118453084.html 62 VOA, “South Africa backs Zim in Kimberley Process decision to resume diamond exports’, 15 April 2011: http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/South-Africa-Backs-Zimbabwe-in-Kimberley-Process-Decision-toResume-Diamond-Exports-119933179.html 63 Market Direct, ‘KP is about humanity not politics WDC president tells meeting in Kinshasa’, 20 June 2011: http://www.mdirect-business.com/content/kimberley-process-about-humanity-not-politics-wdc-presidenttells-meeting-kinshasa 64 VOA, ‘Kimberley Process meeting ends without consensus on Zimbabwe diamonds’, 23 June 2011: http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/Kimberley-Process-Meeting-Ends-Without-Consensus-onZimbabwe-124439624.html