Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, delivered the keynote address at a gala dinner, which followed the opening day of the two-day Antwerp Diamond Conference, which was held in the Belgian world diamond capital on November 3 and 4. Clinton addressed an international group of politicians, business leaders and members of the diamond and jewelry sectors, who had assembled for the gala dinner at the Waagnatie, which is an industrial warehouse located on the banks of the River Scheldt that was especially converted for the event into a stunning ballroom. Leading the contingent of Belgian leaders at the dinner was the country's deputy prime minister, Patrick Dewael. In his speech, Clinton spoke of his long relationship with Belgium, and mentioned a visit he made as president to the country in 1994, just days after the death of his mother, which he felt compelled to do to underscore the partnership between the United States and the European Community. He also noted that his home state of Arkansas, of which he once served as governor, is home to his country's only producing diamond mine. A fancy yellow colored diamond ring, which was worn by his wife Senator Hillary Clinton at both of his presidential inauguration ceremonies, was considered by the couple as very special symbol of good luck, he said. Clinton also paid tribute to the special role of Antwerp as a world diamond center. Referring to plans outlined earlier by Peter Meeus, the managing director of the Antwerp Diamond High Council (HRD), which organized the event, Clinton expressed his effort that the Belgian city would be successful in its effort to expand it role into a world-leading jewelry distribution hub. The thrust of Clinton's wide-ranging speech to the gala dinner was the importance of moving from a dependent world society, which he said was inherently unstable, to a world characterized by “shared responsibility, benefits and values.” In this respect, he paid tribute to the diamond industry's success in implementing the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which helped stem the flow of conflict diamonds into the legitimate diamond pipeline.


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Source: Antwerp facets News Service(AFNS)
November 03