Conflict Diamonds

The Kimberley Process has made important progress this year in developing an international certification scheme for rough diamonds that would exclude "conflict diamonds" from trade while protecting the legitimate diamond industry.

The Ministers today took a number of significant steps, calling for countries in a position to issue certificates to do so immediately, all others to do so, if possible, by June 1, 2002, and providing for full implementation by the end of 2002.

Ministers established a working group of several countries, including the United States, to look into concerns regarding consistency with international trade obligations.

Next month, Kimberley Process participants will recommend to the United Nations that it take action to support the implementation of the certification scheme, to ensure the effective implementation of the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly on conflict diamonds.

We were pleased to note the passage on November 28 of H.R. 2722, a bill to implement a system of requirements on the importation of rough diamonds into the United States, which passed the House on November 28. This bill should further the objectives of the UN Security Council Resolutions and of the Kimberley Process by giving the President the discretion to prohibit imports of rough diamonds into the U.S. from any country that does not take effective measures to stop trade in conflict diamonds.