Eleven African states approved Friday a certification system for tracing the origin of minerals as part of a push to curb the exploitation of mines in the eastern DR Congo by rebel groups. The process...provides for the identification of mines controlled exclusively by civilians, a joint statement said... "...[It] provides...a method for those exporters who want to stay within the legal channel to prove they are staying within the legal channel," said Shawn Blore, the architect of the scheme and a researcher with the NGO Partnership Africa Canada...The scheme also provides for the setting up of a database which would allow for checking any disparities between the quantities bought and sold by a given trader, as such disparities often indicate fraud...Blore told AFP the new initiative can contribute to stamping out the conflict minerals trade if consumers continue to pressure electronics companies to prove the origin of their minerals and push them to buy only certified ones.