Naomi Campbell: I Got A Pouch Containing "Dirty Stones"

Campbell (above during her testimony at the UN court) met Taylor at a dinner hosted by Mandela, then got "dirty looking stones" from two men

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has told a UN war crimes tribunal about diamonds she received from former Liberian president Charles Taylor in 1997. The stones, suspected to be conflict diamonds, were handed to her after she met Taylor at a dinner by South African President Nelson Mandela.

After repeated attempts to delay her testimony, Campbell took the stand Thursday at Taylor’s war crimes tribunal in The Haag. She told the court that two men came to her hotel room late at night and handed her a pouch containing “dirty stones.”

The men told her “there is a gift for you.” She testified that she opened the pouch the next morning and saw that it contained “a few small, very dirty looking stones.”

“I guess they were diamonds,” the British model said in response to a question.

Earlier that evening Campbell and Taylor attended a gala dinner hosted by Mandela. Other guests included actress Mia Farrow, who is scheduled to testify next week.

The following morning at breakfast Campbell told Farrow and her former agent Carol White about the gift. Campbell, who prior to the trial claimed that she never received diamonds from Taylor, told the court that she later gave the diamonds to an organizer of a South African children’s charity.

Taylor is being tried on 11 counts of war crimes in Sierra Leone. The charges include murder, rape and sexual slavery. He is also accused of illegally trading diamonds for arms with Sierra Leone rebels, charges he is denying.

Prosecutors say Campbell's testimony could provide evidence to that activity during Sierra Leone's 1992-2002 civil war.