[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        CLEAN DIAMOND TRADE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EVA M. CLAYTON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 27, 2001

  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H.R. 
2722. This is good legislation whose time is long past due.
  I want to recognize the leadership of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Hall) and that of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), and also to 
compliment the gentleman from New York (Mr. Houghton) for his 
leadership in the Committee on Ways and Means, and the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Matsui) for his leadership in the Committee on Ways and 
Means.
  I participated last April, along with five other Members, in a 
Congressional fact-finding trip to Botswana led by the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Payne) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. 
Jefferson). Those who accompanied us on that particular delegation trip 
also included the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson) and the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  Today, I rise in support of this legislation to see how we can indeed 
rule out the conflict diamonds, the trade system that finances 
conflict, and the great devastation that is currently happening 
throughout regions of Africa. As part of our trip to Botswana, we 
examined first-hand the ``secure'' diamond industry in Africa and saw 
in this process how legitimate diamonds are being used in Botswana and 
other countries in that area. I was pleased to learn that Botswana, 
through a combination of democratic leadership and its seamless and 
secure diamond industry, is able to utilize clean diamonds to educate 
its people, to provide some of the African continent's strongest 
efforts in the fight against HIV-AIDS pandemic, and to undergird the 
country's overall economic and social development.
  In Botswana, we met with President Mogae and members of his Cabinet. 
Since then, President Mogae has come to this country because he, too, 
wants a distinction to be made between clean diamonds and conflict 
diamonds. During his visit, President Mogae met with Congressional 
leaders in the House and Senate, Secretary Powell, and members of the 
Administration to express Botswana's commitment to keeping its diamond 
industry secure and its strong support for an international agreement 
on diamond certification through the Kimberley process. President Mogae 
has been part of the U.N., writing part of their resolution, and has 
made a statement to that effect that Botswana wants to be part of a 
clean diamond industry, and wants to be part of the force that makes 
this distinction.
  I am pleased that this legislation is indeed focused on ending 
diamonds' financing of conflicts in Africa and other parts of the 
world. It is vitally important, Mr. Speaker, for well-intentioned 
legislation, such as H.R. 2722, to recognize and safeguard African 
nations, such as Botswana, which have secure and legitimate diamond 
industries, and which have no relationship to atrocities and conflicts 
in other nations on this continent.
  I raise this point because it is important, Mr. Speaker. It is for 
this reason that through the leadership of Congressmen Jefferson, 
Payne, and Rangel, we have worked with the distinguished author of H.R. 
2722, Mr. Houghton, to insert specific language recognizing that the 
provisions of this bill should not harm legitimate diamond-producing 
countries.
  The good intention of this legislation also acknowledges those people 
who are following the law, and indeed, trying to do the right thing.
  Again, I want to compliment everyone involved in this legislation. 
This legislation is long overdue and has been brought to bear at a time 
when we know that not only the conflict in Africa but now conflict in 
other parts of the world is being financed by diamonds. So hopefully 
this legislation would not only curtail, as the gentleman from Virginia 
(Mr. Wolf) said, the loss of lives, the lives of thousands of persons, 
not only killing them but killing in other parts of the country. I want 
to thank all the persons involved in this, and I urge my colleagues to 
pass this legislation that we all should be proud of.

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