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 Home > News & Policies > January 2003

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 16, 2003

Continuation of the National Emergency for Sierra Leone and Liberia

On January 18, 2001, by Executive Order 13194, the President declared a national emergency with respect to Sierra Leone pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706) to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of the insurgent Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Sierra Leone and pursuant to which the United States imposed a general ban on the direct and indirect importation of all rough diamonds from Sierra Leone into the United States, except those imports controlled through the Certificate of Origin regime of the Government of Sierra Leone. On May 22, 2001, I issued Executive Order 13213, which expanded the scope of the national emergency to include actions of the Government of Liberia in support of the RUF and prohibited the importation of all rough diamonds from Liberia.

Because the actions and policies of the RUF continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States, the national emergency declared on January 18, 2001, as expanded on May 22, 2001, and the measures adopted on those dates to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond January 18, 2003. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency with respect to Sierra Leone and Liberia.

This Notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

GEORGE W. BUSH
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 16, 2003.

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