[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 136 (Wednesday, October 16, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10559-S10560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           CONFLICT DIAMONDS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, recently, the Prosecutor for the Special 
Court for Sierra Leone briefed the staff of the Foreign Operations 
Subcommittee. He spoke about his efforts to prosecute those responsible 
for the horrific crimes that were committed there and to help this 
nation emerge from a tragic episode in its history.
  Whenever something like this occurs, the question that first comes to 
mind is why did it happen? Was it a political struggle? Was it because 
of religious extremism or ethnic hatred? Unlike Yugoslavia or Rwanda, 
most experts believe that the driving force behind this brutal conflict 
was control of resources, especially diamonds.
  The problems associated with conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone are 
not confined to West Africa. They also have an impact in the United 
States. According to the Washington Post, al Qaeda reaped millions of 
dollars from the illicit sale of diamonds, and law enforcement 
officials have said that in order to cut off al Qaeda funds, you have 
to cut off the diamond pipeline.
  With all that is happening in the world, it may be understandable 
that the issue of conflict diamonds is not front page news. However, we 
are starting to make some progress on this important issue.

[[Page S10560]]

  The Administration has been working to help create an international 
regime aimed at stopping the trade in conflict diamonds. Initiated by a 
group of African nations, the Kimberly process has the support of a 
diverse group of non-governmental organizations and the diamond 
industry.
  In March 2002, the last full session of the Kimberly process was 
completed and has now reached a point where the individual countries 
involved need to pass implementing legislation. In the United States, 
some modest legislation may be enacted before the end of this year.
  While I am glad that Congress may pass something on conflict diamonds 
this year, there must be a serious effort next year to get stronger 
legislation signed into law.
  Senator Durbin has introduced important implementing legislation, and 
he is working with the administration, a bipartisan group of Senators, 
including Senators DeWine and Bingaman, and a range of non-governmental 
organizations such as Oxfam and Catholic Relief Services to come up 
with effective legislation that we can all support.
  I am encouraged that the administration is consulting with Congress 
and has named Ambassador Bindenagle, a career diplomat with experience 
in complex negotiations, to lead this effort.
  But, there must be more than an exchange of views on this issue. The 
administration must also seriously consider Congressional proposals to 
move beyond the Kimberly process.
  For example, a major flaw in the Kimberly process is that it does not 
cover polished diamonds. This is important for two reasons. Polished 
diamonds contribute significantly to the problems associated with the 
illicit trade in diamonds, and the United States is far and away the 
world's largest market for these types of diamonds. Clearly, this is an 
area where the United States needs to show leadership.
  As chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I will do what I 
can to ensure that resources are available for developing countries 
that want to enhance their capacity to implement Kimberly.
  I look forward to working with the administration to make substantial 
progress on this issue next year. It will not be easy, but it can be 
done.

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