Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1163 Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 30, 2020 Mr. TURNER submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Recognizing the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords. Whereas, December 14, 2020, marks the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and brought peace to Bosnia and Herzegovina; Whereas ethnic cleansing and concentration camps were used as a tool of war against Bosnian Muslim men, women, and children, culminating in the July 1995 genocide at Srebrenica, where 8,000 Muslim men and teenagers were detained and killed; Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States initiated airstrikes against Bos- nian Serbs to stop grave human rights abuses, which led to ceasefire negotiations and the peace accords; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1163.IH HR1163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1163 IH Whereas negotiations began on November 1, 1995, in Day- ton, Ohio, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, led by then-negotiator Richard Holbrooke and then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher, with Chairman of the Presi- dency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Alija Izetbegovic´, Presi- dent of the Republic of Serbia Slobodan Milosˇevic´, Presi- dent of the Republic of Croatia Franjo Tudjman, Euro- pean Union Special Representative Carl Bildt, First Dep- uty Foreign Minister of Russia Igor Ivanov, and rep- resentatives from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy; Whereas, after days of extensive discussions, a historic peace agreement was signed on December 14, 1995, to halt the conflict and bring peace to the region; Whereas, despite seemingly insurmountable differences in opinions, the negotiations succeeded due to dedicated for- eign service professionals, a common yearning for a peaceful resolution, and an outpouring of support from the global community; Whereas the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Peace Accords, laid the groundwork for NATO and Euro- pean Union (EU) stabilization missions over the past 25 years, which have allowed the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to live peacefully and prosper; Whereas the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, established in 2006, remains the only literary peace prize awarded in the United States and recognizes the power of the writ- ten word to promote peace, and after the death of Am- bassador Holbrooke in 2011, the Lifetime Achievement Award was renamed the Richard C. Holbrooke Distin- guished Achievement Award; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1163.IH HR1163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1163 IH Whereas the peace negotiations were strongly supported by the City of Dayton, Ohio, its leaders, and community, creating strong relationships between all parties involved, including a sister city relationship with Sarajevo; Whereas the United States Government reaffirms support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty and upholds the commitment to equality for all ethnicities according to the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Whereas, since the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, the Government and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been working in partnership with the international com- munity towards building a peaceful and democratic soci- ety based on the rule of law, respect for human rights, and a free-market economy: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) condemns human rights abuses that took 2 place during the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3 and reconfirms the joint United States and EU com- 4 mitment to promote and protect human rights, de- 5 mocracy, and the rule of law worldwide; 6 (2) commends the commitment of the Govern- 7 ment and people of Bosnia and Herzegovina to 8 peace and cooperation 25 years after the Dayton 9 Peace Accords; 10 (3) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 11 Herzegovina to continue pursuing NATO and EU 12 membership; 13 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1163.IH HR1163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1163 IH (4) encourages the Government of Bosnia and 1 Herzegovina to continue its progress towards solving 2 its constitutional issues and improving its economic 3 policy as it advances towards NATO and EU mem- 4 berships; 5 (5) reiterates the importance of the Dayton 6 Peace Accords as the basis of constitutional reform 7 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the promotion of po- 8 litical, economic, legal, and religious equality 9 through the goals and values laid out by the EU; 10 (6) urges the Government of Bosnia and 11 Herzegovina to pursue constitutional reforms, need- 12 ed to reconcile the past to seek empathy and respect 13 as foundations to build a common future; 14 (7) urges the United States Government to 15 work closely with the governments of the countries 16 that border Bosnia and Herzegovina—especially 17 those who are signatories of the Dayton Peace Ac- 18 cords—to support full implementation of the Sta- 19 bilization and Association Agreement between the 20 EU and the Balkan States, which requires regional 21 cooperation; and 22 (8) recognizes the State of Ohio and the greater 23 Dayton community for their role in fostering the 24 Dayton Peace Accords, and for continuing to sup- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1163.IH HR1163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1163 IH port diplomacy, security, and peace around the 1 world. 2 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:32 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1163.IH HR1163 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS