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 Home > News & Policies > July 2003

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 29, 2003

Executive Order

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Clean Diamond Trade Act (Public Law 108-19) (the "Act"), the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and in view of the national emergency described and declared in Executive Order 13194 of January 18, 2001, and expanded in scope in Executive Order 13213 of May 22, 2001,

I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, note that, in response to the role played by the illicit trade in diamonds in fueling conflict and human rights violations in Sierra Leone, the President declared a national emergency in Executive Order 13194 and imposed restrictions on the importation of rough diamonds into the United States from Sierra Leone. I expanded the scope of that emergency in Executive Order 13213 and prohibited absolutely the importation of rough diamonds from Liberia. I further note that representatives of the United States and numerous other countries announced in the Interlaken Declaration of November 5, 2002, the launch of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) for rough diamonds, under which Participants prohibit the importation of rough diamonds from, or the exportation of rough diamonds to, a non-Participant and require that shipments of rough diamonds from or to a Participant be controlled through the KPCS. The Clean Diamond Trade Act authorizes the President to take steps to implement the KPCS. Therefore, in order to implement the Act, to harmonize Executive Orders 13194 and 13213 with the Act, to address further threats to international peace and security posed by the trade in conflict diamonds, and to avoid undermining the legitimate diamond trade, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Prohibitions. Notwithstanding the existence of any rights or obligations conferred or imposed by any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to July 30, 2003, the following are, except to the extent a waiver issued under section 4(b) of the Act applies, prohibited:

(a) the importation into, or exportation from, the United States on or after July 30, 2003, of any rough diamond, from whatever source, unless the rough diamond has been controlled through the KPCS;

(b) any transaction by a United States person anywhere, or any transaction that occurs in whole or in part within the United States, that evades or avoids, or has the purpose of evading or avoiding, or attempts to violate, any of the prohibitions set forth in this section; and

(c) any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions of this section.

Sec. 2. Assignment of Functions. (a) The functions of the President under the Act are assigned as follows:

(i) sections 4(b), 5(c), 6(b), 11, and 12 to the Secretary of State; and

(ii) sections 5(a) and 5(b) to the Secretary of the Treasury.

(b) The Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury may reassign any of these functions to other officers, officials, departments, and agencies within the executive branch, consistent with applicable law.

(c) In performing the function of the President under section 11 of the Act, the Secretary of State shall establish the coordinating committee as part of the Department of State for administrative purposes only, and shall, consistent with applicable law, provide administrative support to the coordinating committee. In the performance of functions assigned by subsection 2(a) of this order or by the Act, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall consult the coordinating committee, as appropriate.

Sec. 3. Amendments to Related Executive Orders. (a) Section 1 of Executive Order 13194 of January 18, 2001, is revised to read as follows:

"Section 1. Except to the extent provided by section 2 of this order, and notwithstanding the existence of any rights or obligations conferred or imposed by any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order, the importation into, or exportation from, the United States of any rough diamond from Sierra Leone, on or after July 30, 2003, is prohibited."

(b) Section 2 of Executive Order 13194 is revised to read as follows: "Sec. 2. The prohibitions in section 1 of this order shall not apply to the importation or exportation of any rough diamond that has been controlled through the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme."

(c) Sections 4(c), (d), and (e) of Executive Order 13194 are deleted, and the word "and" is added after the semicolon at the end of section 4(a).

(d) Section 1 of Executive Order 13213 of May 22, 2001, is revised to read as follows: "Section 1. Notwithstanding the existence of any rights or obligations conferred or imposed by any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order, the direct or indirect importation into the United States of all rough diamonds from Liberia, whether or not such diamonds originated in Liberia, on or after July 30, 2003, is prohibited."

Sec. 4. Definitions. For the purposes of this order and Executive Order 13194, the definitions set forth in section 3 of the Act shall apply, and the term "Kimberley Process Certification Scheme" shall not be construed to include any changes to the KPCS after April 25, 2003.

Sec. 5. General Provisions. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities or entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

Sec. 6. Effective Date and Transmittal. (a) Sections 1 and 3 of this order are effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on July 30, 2003. The remaining provisions of this order are effective immediately.

(b) This order shall be transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

July 29, 2003.

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