LIBERIA: RESTRICTIVE MEASURES WITH REGARD
TO THE EXPORT OF DIAMONDS
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Minister
for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the Chairman
I am writing to let your Committee know about
a misunderstanding that has occurred concerning the Common Position
and the Council Regulation on the lifting of sanctions on rough
diamonds from Liberia. As you may know the EU implements sanctions
stemming from UN Security Council Resolutions through Common Positions
followed by Regulations. In correspondence to you of 18 May[60]
we referred to the Regulation when in fact we meant the Common
Position. I apologise for the misunderstanding that has arisen
through our error. It may help if I set out the background:
— We submitted an Explanatory Memorandum
covering the Common Position terminating the diamond ban on Liberia
on 18 May. Sub-Committee C of your Committee cleared the document
in its meeting of 24 May.
— We also submitted a letter alongside
the EM warning of the possibility of a scrutiny override. Unfortunately,
in the letter we mistakenly referred to the document as a Regulation
rather than a Common Position. In the event the Common Position
was not agreed until 11 June at the Agriculture and Fisheries
Council. This was therefore not an override.
— The House of Commons European Scrutiny
Committee replied to our letter on 6 June. Their letter also referred
to the Regulation rather than the Common Position.
— The Council Regulation is due to
be adopted at the Competitiveness Council on 25 June. An EM explaining
the Council Regulation accompanies this letter.
14 June 2007
60 Refer to letter addressed to Michael Connarty MP,
Chairman Europeam Scrutiny Committee, House of Commons. Back
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