31.   The conference, hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, explored ways to identify where rough diamonds are mined.

32.   The four experts said it has led to the smuggling of rough diamonds from Liberia into Sierra Leone and other neighboring countries.

33.   The move was seen as an attempt to stabilize rough diamond prices and cushion the market from a steeper decline in gem prices.

34.   The proposal to decriminalize and deregulate the sale of rough diamonds in this southwest African country was approved last month by a bipartisan committee.

35.   The U.N. General Assembly has adopted a resolution urging final agreement on a global system to certify the origin of rough diamonds.

36.   This week, police in Belgium seized a consignment of rough diamonds bound for Ascorp after De Beers contended it had a valid contract for them.

37.   Those agreements are designed to formalize the relationship between De Beers and its customers, known as sightholders, for buying and selling rough diamonds.

38.   Until now, De Beers has sold rough diamonds to jewelers to be cut and polished.

39.   He said Indian diamond processors were also hit by rising domestic interest rates and bad government policies on imports of rough diamonds.

40.   Indian diamond processors specialise in importing and polishing small sized rough diamonds.