IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 746 

Expressing support for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina as they seek 

to hold government officials accountable, prepare for elections at the 

state, entity, and cantonal level, and consider constitutional or other 

reforms to enhance the country’s prospects for European and EuroAtlantic integration. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. KEATING) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina 

as they seek to hold government officials accountable, 

prepare for elections at the state, entity, and cantonal 

level, and consider constitutional or other reforms to 

enhance the country’s prospects for European and EuroAtlantic integration. 

Whereas a brutal conflict marked by more than three years 

of aggression and ethnic cleansing, including the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide as well as the use of sexual violence, especially rape, 

as a tool of war, was brought to an end by the decisive 

actions eventually undertaken by the international community with the strong leadership by the United States, 


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culminating in the General Framework Agreement for 

Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (commonly referred to 

as the ‘‘Dayton Peace Accords’’), which was agreed to at 

Wright Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio, on 

November 21, 1995, and signed in Paris on December 

14, 1995; 

Whereas considerable progress on post-conflict recovery was 

achieved by Bosnia and Herzegovina in partnership with 

an actively engaged international community during the 

first decade of the implementation of the Dayton Peace 

Accords, generating efforts to move beyond the Accord’s 

compromises that were originally intended to restore 

peace more quickly and preserve and protect human life, 

but have been considered in a more stable and secure environment to be a hindrance to the development of more 

democratic, efficient and effective political institutions, 

particularly at the state level, during a time when the 

prospects for European and Euro-Atlantic integration 

make the existence of such institutions necessary; 

Whereas the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission has concluded that the current constitutional arrangements of 

Bosnia and Herzegovina are neither efficient nor rational 

and need to be reformed to make state-level institutions 

more effective and democratic if the country is to move 

forward, and the European Court for Human Rights has 

found certain provisions of the constitution of Bosnia and 

Herzegovina to be in breach of the European Convention 

on Human Rights because they establish ethnic criteria 

for certain elected positions that are discriminatory; 

Whereas the failure to reach consensus on constitutional reforms in the second decade of the implementation of the 

Dayton Peace Accords has led to a deterioration of the 


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political atmosphere in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which 

has been marred by divisive rhetoric, unwillingness to 

work constructively with representatives of the international community, threats to the sovereignty, legal continuity, unity, and territorial integrity of the country and 

pervasive official corruption; 

Whereas citizens in various municipalities of Bosnia and 

Herzegovina reacted to their severely worsening socioeconomic conditions in 2014 with public protest and the 

formulation of demands for the accountability of government officials, an end to rampant corruption and numerous other actions to address their grievances, particularly 

at the local level; 

Whereas elections at the state, entity, and cantonal level are 

scheduled to be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 12, 2014; 

Whereas the European Union (EU) has expressed its full and 

firm support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU perspective, considers the country to be a potential candidate 

country for membership, but views it at a standstill in 

the European integration process while other countries in 

the region are moving ahead; 

Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is 

committed to open membership to any European country 

in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership and contribute to security in the 

Euro-Atlantic area, including Bosnia and Herzegovina 

once it has achieved the necessary progress in its reform 

efforts; 

Whereas the international community retains the robust powers given to it by the Dayton Peace Accords, but has deVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:23 Sep 20, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR746.IH HR746

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clined in recent years to use those powers adequately to 

address the deterioration of the political atmosphere in 

Bosnia and Herzegovina and the resulting stagnation in 

the country’s progress toward integration; and 

Whereas it is in the national interest of the United States to 

ensure that the sovereignty, legal continuity, unity, and 

territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina within its 

internationally recognized borders, are respected and that 

Bosnia and Herzegovina make progress in achieving its 

aspirations for Euro-Atlantic and European integration 

through genuine reform efforts: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms its continuing strong support for 

3 the sovereignty, legal continuity, unity, and terri4 torial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina within its 

5 internationally recognized borders; 

6 (2) affirms equally strong support for the peo7 ple of Bosnia and Herzegovina as they seek greater 

8 democracy, economic prosperity, and successful inte9 gration in European and Euro-Atlantic institutions; 

10 (3) expresses profound dissatisfaction with the 

11 inability of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political lead12 ers to achieve agreement on reforms necessary for 

13 progress in these areas; 

14 (4) deplores the divisive rhetoric and abuse of 

15 legal protections that have become part of Bosnia 

16 and Herzegovina’s political discourse, including the 

17 wrongful denial or mischaracterization of crimes and 


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1 genocide associated with the conflict between 1992 

2 and 1995, the excessive and unwarranted reliance on 

3 veto powers to block decisionmaking at the state4 level even when such decisions do not present any 

5 reasonable threat to the ‘‘vital interests’’ of con6 stituent peoples, and the general fomenting of dis7 trust, division, and fear among citizens based on the 

8 country’s ethnic and religious diversity; 

9 (5) views the October 12, 2014, elections at the 

10 state, entity, and cantonal level as an opportunity 

11 for voters to address Bosnia and Herzegovina’s cur12 rent political stagnation and associated problems as 

13 well as to express support for reform and for Euro14 pean and Euro-Atlantic integration; 

15 (6) calls upon the relevant authorities of Bosnia 

16 and Herzegovina to ensure these elections are con17 ducted in a free and fair manner; 

18 (7) encourages the growth of peaceful, civic ac19 tivism to hold public officials accountable and to en20 gage citizens in the political life of the country, in21 cluding in the election process and any new initia22 tives to achieve structural or constitutional reform, 

23 in order to achieve increased public trust in the po24 litical process, broader consensus on the reforms to 


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1 be adopted, and more effective, efficient, and demo2 cratic governance; 

3 (8) calls upon the European Union and the 

4 North Atlantic Treaty Organization and their mem5 ber states to make clear the specific steps Bosnia 

6 and Herzegovina needs to take in the integration 

7 process; 

8 (9) supports the maintenance of a robust inter9 national presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 

10 the full retention and necessary use of all powers ac11 corded to the international community, including the 

12 Office of the High Representative, to meet fully the 

13 objectives and conditions set by the international 

14 Peace Implementation Council; and 

15 (10) urges the United States and concerned 

16 members of the international community, in all as17 pects of their relations with Bosnia and 

18 Herzegovina, to place renewed emphasis, on respect 

19 for the human rights and fundamental freedoms 

20 held by the individual, which should not be com21 promised by any collective protections and privileges 

22 accorded to a group, ethnically based or otherwise. 

Æ 


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