The Ambassador Page #8

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I don't know why they delay it.

I have a feeling that M. Gilbert and my

lawyer are in a conspiracy against me.

- This is your impression, but...

- Do you share my impression?

I noticed they left in the same car -

- but I haven't

the same understanding.

I can see it. You can see it. Why don't

you say anything about it to me?

- Say what for instance?

- For instance...

"Mr. Cortzen, I have a bad feeling

about the lawyer and M. Gilbert."

- Are you also working for M. Gilbert?

- No.

- Are you working for the minister?

- No.

- As they have the paper...

- Please answer my question.

- Who are you working for?

- We are working with you.

If M. Gilbert is cheating me, I can't

make a match factory in this country.

He's a man of wide experience

in this field -

- and now even he's afraid.

- Why is he afraid?

- Because this work is very delicate.

You can have plenty of diamonds in

your hands. Always think positively.

I try to think positive, Paul,

but I'm getting more and more...

It's also because I have problems with

Monrovia and my accreditation papers.

It's just becoming more and more

difficult for me to work -

- as an African business diplomat.

I feel like everybody's against me.

No, don't feel that. No.

You have to be strong,

or you won't survive in this country.

But my problem is

he's not giving me back the contract.

They're not going

to give you the paperwork.

When you reach the airport, they will

say :
"He has diamonds. Arrest him."

They will take everything and say:

"Bye, bye, Mister."

- They also do that do diplomats?

- Everybody.

More problems were coming my way.

From local newspapers and friends

in the diplomatic community -

- I was told of the assassination

of the head of state security -

- Guy-Jean Le Foll Yamande.

According to my sources,

Yamande had been lured -

- to the football stadium in Bangui

at night where he was shot dead.

It seemed like a professional job.

The local journalists wrote that

everyone knew who the killers were.

They walked around freely in Bangui

enjoying impunity, the press said -

- implying that he'd been killed by

the very regime he was working for.

Having secret tape recordings with

the former head of state security -

- and not having

full diplomatic immunity -

- I began to fear what would happen

if the government came down on me.

We have contact

with different powerful people.

And you also have contact

with some diplomats.

When you have contact with someone,

they look...

What is this one doing?

What is his business?

You know, Paul,

that also made me very worried.

I spoke to a diplomat here,

and he said:

"Mr. Cortzen, be careful. If you get

this paperwork and these stones -

- somebody here could call the airport

and say, he has diamonds."

That's why everything

should be discreet. Secretly.

If you make too much noise -

- people will notice that

these ones are looking for diamonds.

I had now stopped meeting with other

diplomats and government people.

Instead, I was spending most

of my time in my ambassador suite -

- trying to bond with the only two

people left in Bangui I could trust.

My two Pygmy assistants.

So, I'd like to introduce

Albert and Bernard -

- to an enormous animal

that lives in the sea.

And then one night

there was a knock on the door.

Ah, Gilbert. Good evening.

Hi, Paul.

You take a little bit

on the spoon like this...

- Do you like it? Very special taste.

- It's like something from the sea.

Yes. Can you taste the power in it?

- Just like the egg of fish.

- Yes, it is fish eggs.

- It's good.

- But it's very expensive.

- This one?

- Yes.

This is about 300-400 euros.

- This one?

- Yes. It's the diamonds of the sea.

These are the diamonds -

- that we get yesterday.

And another one

should come tomorrow.

If they see that on him, and he doesn't

have papers, they'll beat him up.

He'll even have to pay

20 or 50 or 100 million.

If you don't have papers -

- they can charge you

more than 50 million.

- So I should be very careful.

- Very careful.

That's what we say:

The issue of diamonds

is very easy and very difficult.

Easy if you have all the right papers.

Then you can do what you want.

- So I'm basically... They fell out.

- Be careful.

- There... You must move your feet.

- It's here.

- There it is. Oh, my God.

- Be careful.

How could it happen?

Are there any more?

Check under your shoes.

Diamonds from a conflict area

without papers are blood diamonds.

And being in possession

of the blood diamonds of M. Gilbert -

- as well as having signed

an illegal contract with him -

- made my need for diplomatic

immunity bigger than ever before.

- Mr. Cortzen, how are you?

- I'm very fine, Mr. Sherman.

I talked to the acting minister,

and it's not possible.

He doesn't have the authority

and cannot do it.

But could I have something which

could give me credibility here.

- I'm dealing with high-ranking...

- No, no, no.

You can't have anything, because...

No, Mr. Cortzen, I won't lie to you.

What about a piece of paper saying

I'm in the process of, you know...

Don't ask me to get you something

that is not normally obtained.

There is nothing called "being

in the process of being appointed. "

You're either appointed or not.

Does M. Gilbert

have something for me today?

M. Gilbert has something for you.

What you need.

- Does he have the papers with them?

- No.

Here, many diplomats,

many businessmen -

- many high people do this business,

but not officially.

They just make the arrangement.

And they put it in a very secret way,

in their body.

But where do I put it on my body?

Put it in a good way.

Put it in your pants.

We will show him. He puts it

like this, and he goes through.

Don't be too much...

scared... chicken.

You're lucky. He's very relaxed

to cooperate with you.

- So I have the right partner.

- It is a matter of being relaxed.

And being very secret and discreet.

How nice. Very beautiful.

- And so many.

- We can find more.

- Thank you, M. Gilbert.

- Give it to Maria, if you're not sure.

No f***ing way!

This stops right now.

I cannot take any more of this.

Seriously!

- I was just thinking for the issue...

- No!

- No, no, no!

- What happened from here?

Diamonds thrive on discretion and

secrecy, so let's leave it like that.

But M. Gilbert, my business partner,

was finally elected to parliament -

- where he now serves as

a deputy of the president's party.

Th is will be the beginning of

a new white and black cooperation.

Paul was given 0.5m CFA francs

to incorporate the match factory -

- but has suffered several setbacks

because of malaria.

Bernard and Albert, my two Pygmy

assistants, were given the tools -

- for making matches by hand

and are busy practicing their skills.

Still no arrests have been made

in the case -

- of the assassination of the former

head of state security.

But I've since discovered

that his predecessor -

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