President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing Russian companies to import uncut diamonds from Liberia, in response to the UN Security Council's lifting of its ban.
The document released by the Kremlin on Tuesday allows imports of all uncut diamonds from Liberia, regardless of their origin.
The UN Security Council lifted the embargo in April after the west African nation agreed to cooperate within the Kimberley Process - an international system of natural diamond certification. The measures aim to block smuggled diamonds from entering the world market, and to prevent rebels from using diamond sales to back insurgents.
The UN ban on Liberian "blood diamonds" had been in place since 2001. - RIA Novosti
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