[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 72 (Wednesday, May 23, 2001)]
[House]
[Page H2656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ADDITIONAL MEASURES WITH RESPECT TO PROHIBITING THE IMPORTATION OF 
  ROUGH DIAMONDS FROM SIERRA LEONE--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE 
                   UNITED STATES (H. DOC. NO. 107-75)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, without objection, referred to the 
Committee on International Relations and ordered to be printed:
To the Congress of the United States:
  Pursuant to section 204(b) of the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act, 50 U.S.C. 1703(b) (IEEPA), and section 301 of the National 
Emergencies Act, 50 U.S.C. 1631, I hereby report that I have exercised 
my statutory authority to expand the scope of an existing national 
emergency in response to the unusual and extraordinary threat posed to 
the foreign policy of the United States by the Government of Liberia's 
complicity in the illicit trade in diamonds from Sierra Leone by the 
insurgent Revolutionary United Front of Sierra Leone (RUF) and by the 
Government of Liberia's other forms of support for the RUF. I also have 
exercised my statutory authority to issue an Executive Order that 
prohibits the importation into the United States of all rough diamonds 
from Liberia, whether or not such diamonds originated in Liberia. These 
actions are mandated in part by United Nations Security Council 
Resolution 1343 of March 7, 2001.
  The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of 
State, is authorized to issue regulations in exercise of my authorities 
under the IEEPA and the United Nations Participation Act, 22 U.S.C. 
287c, to implement this prohibition. All Federal agencies are also 
directed to take actions within their authority to carry out the 
provisions of the Executive Order.
  I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued. The Order 
was effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 23, 2001.
  I have authorized these measures in furtherance of Executive Order 
13194 of January 18, 2001, and in response to the Government of 
Liberia's continuing facilitation of and participation in the RUF's 
illicit trade in diamonds from Sierra Leone and its other forms of 
support for the RUF. The Government of Liberia's actions in this regard 
constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of 
the United States because they directly challenge United States foreign 
policy objectives in the region and the rule-based international order 
that is crucial to the peace and prosperity of the United States.
  In Executive Order 13194, President Clinton responded to the RUF's 
illicit arms-for-diamonds trade that fuels the brutal, decade-long 
civil war in Sierra Leone by declaring a national emergency and, 
consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1306, by 
prohibiting the importation into the United States of all rough 
diamonds from Sierra Leone except for those importations controlled 
through the certificate of origin regime of the Government of Sierra 
Leone. In a report issued on December 14, 2000, the United Nations 
Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 1306 found that 
diamonds represent a major and primary source of income for the RUF to 
sustain and advance its military activities; that the bulk of the RUF 
diamonds leaves Sierra Leone through Liberia; and that such illicit 
trade cannot be conducted without the permission and involvement of 
Liberian government officials at the highest levels. The Panel 
recommended, among other things, a complete embargo on all diamonds 
from Liberia until Liberia demonstrates convincingly that it is no 
longer involved in the trafficking of arms to, or diamonds from, Sierra 
Leone.
  On March 7, 2001, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 
1343 to impose sanctions against the Government of Liberia. The 
resolution determined that the Government of Liberia's active support 
for the RUF in Sierra Leone and other armed rebel groups in neighboring 
countries constitutes a threat to international peace and security in 
the region and decided that all states shall impose an immediate arms 
embargo on Liberia and also shall impose travel and diamond bans on 
Liberia on May 7, 2001, unless the Council determined before that date 
that the Government of Liberia had ceased its support for the RUF and 
for other armed rebel groups and, in particular, had taken a number of 
concrete steps identified in the resolution. In furtherance of this 
resolution, the Secretaries of State, Commerce, and Defense have taken 
steps, under their respective authorities, to implement the arms 
embargo.
  With regard to the travel ban and diamond embargo, the Government of 
Liberia has failed, notwithstanding the two-month implementation period 
granted by resolution 1343, to honor its commitments to cease its 
support for the RUF and other armed rebel groups. As a result, the 
Security Council did not determine that Liberia has complied with the 
demands of the Council.
  In Proclamation 7359 of October 10, 2000, President Clinton suspended 
the entry as immigrants and nonimmigrants of persons who plan, engage 
in, or benefit from activities that support the RUF or that otherwise 
impede the peace process in Sierra Leone. The application of that 
Proclamation implements the travel ban imposed by resolution 1343.
  Finally, for the reasons discussed above and in the enclosed 
Executive Order, I also have found that the Government of Liberia's 
continuing facilitation of and participation in the RUF's illicit trade 
in diamonds from Sierra Leone and its other forms of support for the 
RUF contribute to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign 
policy of the United States described in Executive Order 13194 with 
respect to which the President declared a national emergency. In order 
to deal with that threat, and consistent with resolution 1343 and this 
finding, I have taken action to prohibit the importation into the 
United States of all rough diamonds from Liberia, whether or not such 
diamonds originated there, in order to contribute to the international 
effort to bring a prompt end to the illicit arms-for-diamonds trade by 
which the RUF perpetuates the tragic conflict in Sierra Leone. This 
action, as well as those discussed above, also expresses our outrage at 
the Government of Liberia's ongoing contribution to human suffering in 
Sierra Leone and other neighboring countries, as well as its continuing 
failure to abide by international norms and the rule of law.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, May 23, 2001.

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