Presidential DocumentExecutive Order 1319401-2140

Prohibiting the Importation of Rough Diamonds From Sierra Leone

Primary source

Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.

Published
January 23, 2001
Signed
January 18, 2001

Issuing agencies

Executive Office of the President

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 66 Issue 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2001)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2001)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 7389-7390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 01-2140]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2001 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 7389]]


                Executive Order 13194 of January 18, 2001

                
Prohibiting the Importation of Rough Diamonds 
                From Sierra Leone

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, including the International Emergency Economic 
                Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the 
                National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.), 
                section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act of 
                1945, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), and section 
                301 of title 3, United States Code, and in view of 
                United Nations Security Council Resolution 1306 of July 
                5, 2000,

                I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States 
                of America, take note that the people of Sierra Leone 
                have suffered the ravages of a brutal civil war for 
                nearly 10 years, and that the United Nations Security 
                Council has determined that the situation in Sierra 
                Leone constitutes a threat to international peace and 
                security in the region and also has expressed concerns 
                regarding the role played by the illicit trade in 
                diamonds in fueling the conflict in Sierra Leone. 
                Sierra Leone's insurgent Revolutionary United Front's 
                (RUF's) illicit trade in diamonds from Sierra Leone to 
                fund its operations and procurement of weapons, the 
                RUF's flagrant violation of the Lome Peace Agreement of 
                July 7, 1999, and its attacks on personnel of the 
                United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone are direct 
                challenges to the United States foreign policy 
                objectives in the region as well as a direct challenge 
                to the rule-based international order which is crucial 
                to the peace and prosperity of the United States. 
                Therefore, I find these actions constitute an unusual 
                and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the 
                United States and hereby declare a national emergency 
                to deal with that threat. In order to implement United 
                Nations Security Council Resolution 1306 and to ensure 
                that the direct or indirect importation into the United 
                States of rough diamonds from Sierra Leone will not 
                contribute financial support to aggressive actions by 
                the RUF or to the RUF's procurement of weapons, while 
                at the same time seeking to avoid undermining the 
                legitimate diamond trade or diminishing confidence in 
                the integrity of the legitimate diamond industry, I 
                hereby order:

                Section 1. Except to the extent provided in section 2 
                of this order and to the extent provided in 
                regulations, orders, directives, or licenses issued 
                pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding the 
                existence of any rights or obligations conferred or 
                imposed by any international agreement or 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 Sierra Leone on or after the 
                effective date of this order is prohibited.

                Sec. 2. The prohibition in section 1 of this order 
                shall not apply to the importation of rough diamonds 
                controlled through the Certificate of Origin regime of 
                the Government of Sierra Leone.

                Sec. 3. Any transaction by a United States person or 
                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 
                order is prohibited.

                Sec. 4. For the purposes of this order:

                    (a) the term ``person'' means an individual or 
                entity;

[[Page 7390]]

                    (b) the term ``entity'' means a partnership, 
                association, trust, joint venture, corporation, or 
                other organization;
                    (c) the term ``United States person'' means any 
                United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity 
                organized under the laws of the United States or any 
                jurisdiction within the United States (including 
                foreign branches), or any person in the United States;
                    (d) the term ``rough diamond'' means all unworked 
                diamonds classifiable in heading 7102 of the Harmonized 
                Tariff Schedule of the United States; and
                    (e) the term ``controlled through the Certificate 
                of Origin regime of the Government of Sierra Leone'' 
                means accompanied by a Certificate of Origin or other 
                documentation that demonstrates to the satisfaction of 
                the United States Customs Service (or analogous 
                officials of a United States territory or possession 
                with its own customs administration) that the rough 
                diamonds were legally exported from Sierra Leone with 
                the approval of the Government of Sierra Leone.

                Sec. 5. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
                with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to 
                take such actions, including the promulgation of rules 
                and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to 
                the President by IEEPA and UNPA, as may be necessary to 
                carry out the purposes of this order. The Secretary of 
                the Treasury may redelegate any of these functions to 
                other officers and agencies of the United States 
                Government. All agencies of the United States 
                Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate 
                measures within their authority to carry out the 
                provisions of this order.

                Sec. 6. This order is not intended to create, nor does 
                it create, any right, benefit, or privilege, 
                substantive or procedural, enforceable at law by a 
                party against the United States, its agencies, 
                officers, or any other person.

                Sec. 7. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern 
                standard time on January 19, 2001.

                    (Presidential Sig.)<Clinton1><Clinton2>

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                     January 18, 2001.

[FR Doc. 01-2140
Filed 1-22-01; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on January 23, 2001.

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