The 5th Intercessional meeting of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) concluded in New Delhi today. The highlights of the two day meeting included a Venezuela suspension and a report on Liberia.

“The most significant outcome was the voluntary withdrawal of Venezuela from the process,” said Sanjay Kothari, chairman of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). The request is expected to be confirmed at the Plenary.

A report by the review team to Liberia was encouraging, according to participants. “It shows that Liberia is also falling in line with the process,” said GJEPC Vice Chairman Vasant Mehta.

Cote d'Ivoire has expressed a desire to join the Kimberley Process and has invited representatives from the UN and KPCS to review its systems, prior to a decision on its acceptance.

About 150 delegates representing 35 countries attended the meeting, including ministerial level representation from a number of countries.

The intercessional is structured around working group meetings and does the background work for the decisions to be taken in the Plenary. India is the current chair of the KPCS. On January 1, 2009 Namibia will take over as chair.