The stage is set for a blistering confrontation over so-called conflict diamonds at a crucial meeting of governments, industry and non-governmental organisations in Botswana. The...Kimberley Process...[faces] unprecedented calls for the...initiative to sharpen up its act or risk losing its credibility... For the first time in its history, the system has been faced with a live conflict [in Côte d'Ivoire] and critics say it has failed the test by doing too little too late. A UN report published last month found that millions of dollars’ worth of conflict diamonds from Ivory Coast had entered the legitimate trade through Ghana, where they were fraudulently certified as conflict-free...Corinna Gilfillan of Global Witness...[said,] “Internal controls in KP countries must be more robust and must be enforced...” ...The diamond industry, keen to be seen to act, is siding firmly with the NGOs. The World Diamond Council has urged KP participants “to act swiftly and effectively to protect the future integrity of the process”. Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of De Beers..., says “the Botswana meeting is critical to the continued effectiveness and credibility of the KP..." ...[The KP's] shortcomings have been highlighted by the Ivory Coast situation. A year ago the plenary passed a resolution agreeing on unprecedented controls in West Africa to stop diamond smuggling. A team of KP experts was dispatched to Ivory Coast to assess and monitor the situation. But 10 months later the team’s report had yet to be drawn up... [A]pparently Accra, after dragging its feet, is now keen to comply. In Gaborone, the pressure will be on Ghana “voluntarily” to suspend its exports until its internal controls have been strengthened; and on the KP to show it has teeth.