[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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