ANTWERP, 21 July 2000 - The Association of Rough Diamond Traders adopted new bylaws to strengthen the fight against the trade in conflict diamonds. Any member that trades in illicit diamonds will be expelled and reported. Members are urged to guarantee on their invoices no illicit diamonds are involved.

The Belgian Association of Rough Diamond Traders welcomes and supports the decisions taken by the World Diamond Congress on 19 July 2000 in Antwerp.

At the most recent meeting of the Administrative Board, it was unanimously agreed to add the following resolutions to the Association’s bylaws.

1. The trade in diamonds originating from conflict areas in Africa, as defined in UN Security Council resolutions, has caused and continues to cause a tremendous cost in human lives. For this reason, trading in these so-called "conflict diamonds" is reprehensible and unacceptable.
2. Any Association member found to be trading in these conflict diamonds will be summarily expelled from the Association, reported to the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and exposed to the appropriate authorities.
3. From the earliest date possible, the members are urged to adhere to and print the following clause on all their sales invoices and consignment memoranda :
   
   "We hereby declare that all appropriate measures have been taken to determine that non of the diamonds listed above, to the best of our knowledge and belief, have originated in any Country currently under sanctions by the United Nations as of the date these sanctions were first ratified."

The Association sincerely hopes that these measures, together with similar measures being taken by other responsible organisations in the diamond industry, will successfully prevent the loss of further innocent lives.

The Association further invites those companies, groups and organisations in the diamond industry who yet haven’t, to take this basic responsible step to join those who have and end the suffering this illicit trade can inflict.