KINSHASA - Lebanon has undermined its own bid to show that it does not deal in blood diamonds by importing millions of dollars worth of gems from Congo Republic, a known exporter of smuggled stones, a pressure group said on Friday.

Global Witness, which investigates the links between natural resource exploitation and conflicts, said Lebanese customs data showed the country had imported $156 million in rough diamonds from Brazzaville earlier this year.

The Kimberley Process -- a certification scheme launched two years ago to provide guarantees that member states were not dealing in diamonds fuelling African conflicts -- struck Congo off its membership list in July as Brazzaville could not account for the origin of large quantities of its exports.

"These imports from Congo Republic throw serious doubts on Lebanon's commitment to counter the trade in conflict diamonds and cast a shadow on its current efforts to join the Kimberley Process," the British-based group said in a statement.

"The Kimberley Process should not admit Lebanon until it has declared the value of its current stock of rough diamonds and is able to convincingly explain these significant imports from a country which is a known conduit for smuggled diamonds."

Lebanese officials were not immediately available for comment.

Lebanon was also removed from the list of Kimberley Process countries in 2004 for lacking legislation needed to control the industry but is in the process of trying to re-apply.

Global Witness said figures on Lebanon's customs website showed that shipments of $90 million and $66 million of industrial rough diamonds were imported to Lebanon to the Congo Republic in February and March.

It said Congo usually acted as a conduit for illicit diamonds coming from is much larger neighbour, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or nearby Angola -- two countries were gems have helped fund bloody civil wars.

Global Witness said a Lebanese official had told its campaigners that the figure of $156 million did not reflect the real value of the imports and had been artificially inflated.

The official said an investigation had been launched, according to Global Witness. (Reuters)