[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 35 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H945]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    H.R. 918, THE CLEAN DIAMONDS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. WOLF of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, this is a young girl whose arm was 
cut off that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) and I saw while we were 
in Sierra Leone.
  The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) is exactly right, and I want to 
congratulate him for that. I also want to send a message to the 
lobbyists who have been hired by some of the powerful firms in this 
city and in this country, when you lobby for the diamond industry 
against the bill of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), you are, in 
essence, validating the cutting off of the arm of this young child.
  Having practiced law in this town for a number of years, I will tell 
my colleagues the law firms that are being hired will some day be held 
accountable for what they are doing, because they have within them the 
ability to bring about the passage of Mr. Hall's legislation and keep 
the diamonds and the war and the killing to stop, not only in Sierra 
Leone, but in Angola and in the Congo.
  I rise today with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), my colleague 
and good friend, to speak in support of this bill to address the trade 
in blood diamonds.
  Millions have died in Africa because of the blood shed with regard to 
diamonds. Rebel groups, as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) said, in 
Sierra Leone, Angola, the Congo, where I just visited have committed 
horrible atrocities to gain control in and to profit from diamonds and 
the diamond mines, with regard to drugs, with regard to weapons and 
diamonds.
  Last year, traveling with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), we went 
to Sierra Leone and saw the devastation. This is an individual whose 
picture a staff member from the office of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Hall) took while there and other men and women who have their arms off. 
Some talked about their ears were off.
  Others were asked do you want to short sleeve or a long sleeve. If 
they said a short sleeve, their arm was cut off here; a long sleeve, it 
was cut off there.
  In Sierra Leone, an estimated 75,000 have died because of the rebel 
campaign. Diamonds are fueling this issue in the Congo and Sierra Leone 
and in Angola.

                              {time}  1200

  In the Congo where I visited, the same effect is taking place. These 
diamond wars are notorious for the atrocities and aggressors committed 
against innocent victims. In all three countries, the civilian 
population has been the victims of the war crimes.
  So I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), and I see the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the chairman, who was there who 
has done such a great job on this issue, who have led the way on how 
the Congress in this country and hopefully this administration treats 
Charles Taylor who is, in essence, a war criminal in Liberia who is 
funding the efforts.
  I will just say that passage of this bill will stop the killing, stop 
the maiming.
  If you are a lawyer downtown and the diamond industry comes to you 
and asks you to represent them to oppose the bill of the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Hall), think about it. Because, in essence, you are 
representing the people, the people that have been responsible for 
this.
  The bill of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) is a responsible bill. 
It is a balanced bill. I think he is exactly right. We do not want to 
see a boycott against the diamond industry. We do not want to hurt the 
jewelers in this country. We do not want to hurt the legitimate diamond 
merchants in the world and some of the good places in Africa that are 
doing it.
  So by the passage of the bill of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall), 
we can resolve this issue and stop the killing of people and the 
cutting off of arms.

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